A Womb With A View
by kakie
Summary: What if a note was not all Larry left behind?
1. Default Chapter

A Womb With A View. By Kakie  
  
What if Larry left behind something more than just a note?  
  
(This story is not part of the other stories I have written. It's a solo piece.)  
  
Chapter 1  
  
John walked into Ally's office and found her stretched out on the sofa.  
  
"Dammit, Ally, this is the fourth time I have found you like this. You need to see a doctor."  
  
"I don't need a doctor, John. I just have a slight touch of the flu."  
  
"Flu, my ass. This has been going on for weeks and it's not getting any better. I'm taking you to the doctor right now."  
  
"Can't today. New client coming in at two."  
  
"Elaine will reschedule. Let's go."  
  
He pulled and dragged her to her feet. He handed her purse to her and led her to the elevators and into the parking garage.  
  
Once inside the car, she turned to him. "If it's not flu, then what could it be?"  
  
John started the car. "That's what the doctor is going to tell us."  
  
"It's definitely not the flu, Ms. McBeal," the doctor told Ally later in his office following the exam.  
  
Ally grabbed John's hand. "Oh my God. What is it? What's wrong with me? Am I going to die?"  
  
Dr. Miller smiled at her. "You're not sick, Ms. McBeal, or even dying. You're pregnant."  
  
"What!" she exclaimed as she jumped up. "What did you say?"  
  
"I said that you're pregnant." He watched as Ally's face went pale. He helped her back into the chair and turned to John. "Is this pregnancy completely out-of-the-blue?"  
  
"Like you wouldn't believe," John informed the doctor.  
  
Dr. Miller returned to his desk. "Ms. McBeal, I am having a hard time understanding this. When I did the exam, I felt maybe a ten or eleven week old fetus. Without an ultrasound, I can't be more accurate. You're nearly three months along and you had no idea?"  
  
Ally shook her head, still in disbelief.  
  
"Do you remember the last time you had your period?"  
  
Ally closed her eyes and tried to remember. "I can't remember." She turned to John. "I can't remember, John."  
  
He took her hand. "How long has it been since Larry left?"  
  
"He left May 20th."  
  
Dr. Miller made some notes. And Larry would be the father?"  
  
Ally nodded, tears streaming down her face.  
  
"It certainly explains some things. Now, according to my chart, you should be about two and a half months along. Ms. McBeal, you need to make an appointment with your OBGYN immediately."  
  
John stood up. "I'll make sure she does. Is they're anything else?"  
  
"The good news is that the morning sickness you have been experiencing all this time should begin to pass pretty soon. I think the worse may be over."  
  
Ally thanked the doctor and she and John left. As John drove, Ally cried. He sat with her all evening while she continued to cry. When he left her place late that night, he was so exhausted he felt like he had been crying all day.  
  
She called in sick the next day as he expected. After work he stopped by her place expecting to find a depressed Ally but he found just the opposite.  
  
"You're dressed," he observed.  
  
"Yeah, they kind of frown on wrinkled PJs at the doctor's office."  
  
"Oh," he said surprised, "you went to see your doctor."  
  
"Yup, and the little one here is due around Valentine's Day. How ironic is that?"  
  
John was taken back by her positive attitude. "You seem happy about this pregnancy."  
  
She glanced over at him. "Because of my crying fit yesterday? Well, blame it on exhaustion, hormones and a broken heart."  
  
"And today?"  
  
She leaned over and picked up a book off of the coffee table. "Today I begin a chapter of my life as a mother starting with being pregnant."  
  
He took the book from her hands. "What to expect when you're expecting." He handed her back the book.  
  
"I don't understand how you can be so upbeat about having Larry's baby."  
  
"My baby," she corrected. "This is my baby."  
  
"Ally, you didn't get pregnant alone," John reminded her.  
  
"You're right. From this point forward, he was simply a sperm donor."  
  
"Ally!" John exclaimed. "He was not some guy who you picked up in a bar. You loved him and wanted to spend the rest of your life with him."  
  
"I know that," she said as she threw the book across the room. "You don't think I know that? There isn't a second that goes by that I don't know that this baby was created in love by a man who left me. He made his choice and I've made mine."  
  
"It's his baby, too. He has a right to know."  
  
"I don't agree. He has his life in Detroit with Sam and whomever he chooses to spend it with. I have my life here with my baby. I don't need him to support us; I can do that just fine. If the kid needs a strong male role model, he has you."  
  
"But I'm not his father."  
  
"Maybe not but chances are his father wouldn't care." Ally picked up the tossed book and placed it back on the coffee table.  
  
"Don't you think he has the right to decide that?"  
  
Ally ran her hands through her hair. "John, I have spend the last few months trying to get over the love of my life. I was making progress. Just last week I was able to sit through the first movie we ever saw as a couple and didn't cry once. That may not mean much to you, but it was a lot for me. Now I'm pregnant with his baby. That is going to make getting over him a million times harder. If you throw Larry back into the mix, I'll never get through it. I can't deal with him right now. Do you understand?"  
  
"No, I don't. He has a right to know, Ally. That's the bottom line."  
  
She stared him dead in the eyes. "You listen to me, John Cage. I have made up my mind on this. Larry is not to know about this baby. Maybe some day I'll tell him but that day is not here. This is my child and I will do this my way."  
  
John resigned himself and nodded.  
  
When he got home he picked up the phone and dialed. "Sorry Ally, I don't agree with this. Hello? Yes, I'd like to book a seat on your first available flight to Detroit."  
  
John walked up to the secretary and smiled. "I don't have an appointment but I'd like a few minutes with Mr. Paul."  
  
The secretary smiled a small smile back. "I'm sorry, Mr. Paul does not see anyone without an appointment."  
  
John leaned forward. "Tell Mr. Paul that John Cage is here. I'm sure he'll see me."  
  
She picked up the phone and repeated the words to her boss. She hung up. "He'll see you now."  
  
"Thanks." John opened the door and stepped inside.  
  
Larry stood and crossed his desk. "Well, John, you are the last person I expected to see show up here. Make that the second to last."  
  
"Ally wouldn't stoop to that level," he said with a sneer to his voice.  
  
Larry leaned against the edge of this desk. "Now that we've established that I'm the most hated man in Boston, what brings you to Detroit?"  
  
"Ally."  
  
"That's what I figured. Did something happen? Is she hurt, ill?"  
  
John shook his head. "She's fine."  
  
Larry took a deep breath. "That's good."  
  
"So you still care?"  
  
Larry's jaw dropped. "Still care? Of course I still care. I love her. She's the last thing I think about at night and the first thing in the morning."  
  
John sat down on the small couch. "I don't care how you feel, Larry. Your feelings are of no interest to me. I am not here to get information on your feelings or plans. I'm here for one reason only. I believe very strongly in a man's right to know and although Ally has no idea I'm here and will probably kill me when she finds out, I am willing to risk a long time friendship because of something I believe in."  
  
Larry blinked a few times. "I'm sorry, John. I have no idea what you are talking about."  
  
"Ally's pregnant."  
  
Larry lost all of his muscle control and slid to the floor.  
  
John looked down at him. "Are you okay?"  
  
"What did you say?" asked Larry in a strange voice.  
  
"I said that Ally's pregnant. Why are you still on the floor?"  
  
From the floor, Larry's mind went in a thousand different directions. "How did this happen?"  
  
John sighed and shook his head. "I'm not going to stand here and explain the fundamentals of conception to you. I have a plane to catch." He stared down at the man still sitting on the floor. "Larry, are you listening to me?"  
  
Larry slowly stood up, unsure of his footing. "Ally's pregnant. How long?"  
  
"How long has she known or how far along is she?"  
  
He closed his eyes. "Both."  
  
"She's known a few days and she's almost three months along."  
  
"Three months," he whispered. "She's three months pregnant with my baby."  
  
John checked his watch. He needed to hurry. "Look Larry, I'm hoping you'll do the right thing and just leave the situation alone. She's better off without you. I don't plan to tell her I was here or that you know."  
  
The fog began to clear from Larry's brain. "She doesn't want me to know?"  
  
"No, she made it clear she doesn't want you involved. She said you have a life here with Sam and she doesn't want to see you anymore."  
  
"But it's my baby, too. How can she do that?"  
  
John felt bad for his former friend. "She still loves you and will never get over you if you're in the picture. Just give her what she wants. Do that for her." He glanced again at his watch. "I have to go catch my flight. Like I said, I'm not going to tell her about this but if you decide to act, let me know. I can't let her be blind sided." He handed Larry his business card with his cell phone number on the back.  
  
After John left, Larry sank onto the couch. He rubbed his face with his hands. Phrases kept running through his head, Ally's pregnant, almost three months, she doesn't want you involved. Okay, Larry, he told himself, let's think this through. Ally's pregnant with your child. She doesn't want you to know much less be involved. John's right, you've already put her through hell, just file what he said in the back of your brain and move on. She doesn't know you know. She's not using this pregnancy to get you back. She doesn't need your money to support this baby. She's perfectly capable of being a single parent. A single parent to my child. A child who won't know that I'm his father. I can't do that. I can't let my child go through life without me. Even a long distance father is better than no father at all. Okay, that settles it. I'll tell Ally I know and we'll deal with it. We'll be co-parents. I can be a parent to my child from here. It works for Jamie and me. But we live in the same city and plus I don't love her. Can I do it? Can I be a part of my child's life and watch as Ally moves on with her life with other men? Oh God, she must hate me. No wait, John said she still loved me. She can't hate me if she still loves me, can she? Could this be my way back in? I should never have left. It was stupid and coward. Why did I ever think to take a piece of cobbler as an omen? What a moron I am. But wait a sec. This baby could be an omen. An omen telling me to fix things. But can I do it? Do I want to move back to Boston and be a real family with Ally and my child?  
  
"Yes," he said without realizing it. 


	2. chapter 2

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 2  
  
John tossed his overnight bag in the passenger seat and turned on his cell phone to check his messages. There were two from Richard regarding nothing and one that made his blood run cold. "John, its Larry. I'm giving you the heads up that I have a flight scheduled to leave for Boston in a few minutes and I plan to confront her about this when I get there. I should arrive around eight and I'll go straight to her apartment. I know this doesn't give you much time to prepare her but maybe it's better that way. My child is at stake." John looked at his watch. It was nearly 7:15. "Dammit," John said as he started the car.  
  
Because of an accident, John didn't arrive at Ally's until almost time. He knocked on the door and she answered wearing a sweat suit.  
  
"I need to talk to you," he said as he pushed his way in.  
  
"Okay." She closed the door and followed him to the den. "What's the emergency?"  
  
"I did something, Ally, something you are going to hate. But I had my reasons and although you may not see it now, one day I hope you will."  
  
Ally stared. "What did you do?"  
  
"I went to Detroit and told Larry about the baby."  
  
Anger filled her entire body. "You did what!!!"  
  
"I told Larry. He had a right to know and now he's on his way here now. He should be here in a few minutes and I didn't want you to be blind sided. How angry are you?"  
  
"You have just blown my life to smithereens and you have the nerve to ask about my anger? How could you do this to me, John? You knew I didn't want Larry involved in this. You knew how important it was to me. How? I thought you were my friend."  
  
"I am your friend."  
  
"The hell you are," she said between clenched teeth. "You are no friend, John Cage. You are a Benedict Arnold. I would expect this from Nelle or Richard but never you."  
  
John stepped back as if he were slapped. "I am your friend and I did the right thing. One day you'll know that."  
  
She glared at him. "I will never forgive you for this. I want you to leave. Go destroy someone else's life for a while." She reached in the closet and pulled out a suitcase.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting the hell out of Dodge." She carried the suitcase to her bedroom and began to toss clothes inside. "Thanks to your interfering, I now have to find a place to hide until Larry gets tired of looking for me. And I'm sending you the hotel bill." She turned to him. "I told you to leave."  
  
"I can't leave until you understand why I did what I did."  
  
She grabbed some things from the bathroom. "I don't care about your reasons. Just like you didn't care about mine. Go home, John."  
  
He opened his mouth to speak but instead left.  
  
With a suitcase in one hand and her keys in another, she opened the door to find Larry on the other side.  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
She slammed the door shut.  
  
"Open this door, Ally."  
  
Silence.  
  
"If you don't open it right now, I'll give your neighbors something to talk about."  
  
Silence.  
  
"I still have my key."  
  
From behind the door, Ally tried to recall if he had returned the key she gave him long ago.  
  
"Slide it under the door and leave."  
  
He grinned. At least she was speaking to him.  
  
"I'm not leaving until I talk to you. If you don't open this door in five seconds, I'm going to start singing. My choice of song will be 'I'm a woman'. 1.2..3.4.5. Okay here goes. I can wash out forty-four pairs of socks and have them hanging on the line."  
  
The door opened. "You don't play fair, Larry Paul."  
  
"Not when it comes to getting what I want. Can I come in?"  
  
She stepped back and he entered the apartment.  
  
"You've redecorated."  
  
"No," she laughed bitterly, "what I did was get rid of any trace of you."  
  
"Well," he said as he cleared his throat, "I'm assuming you spoke to John and you know why I'm here."  
  
"John is a traitor. He had no business speaking to you about anything. I think it's time you got your butt back on a plane to Detroit."  
  
"My butt stays put until we settle this."  
  
She crossed her arms over her chest. "We have nothing to settle."  
  
"Dammit Ally, cut the denial. I know you're pregnant."  
  
Her arms fell immediately to her stomach. "True."  
  
"And it's mine."  
  
She shook her head. "No, it's my baby."  
  
He stepped forward until they were inches apart. "I want you to admit to me that I'm the father."  
  
She stepped back a few feet. "This is my baby."  
  
"Admit that I'm the father."  
  
Her hands began to shake. "Please Larry, just let this go. Go back to your son in Detroit and let me raise my baby in peace."  
  
"I want to hear you say it."  
  
Ally gave up and the tears began to fall. "Alright, you win. You are the father of this child. There, are you happy now?"  
  
Both stepped back and sat on opposite ends of the couch. With so much to say, neither could say anything. After a couple of minutes Larry broke the ice.  
  
"I never thought I'd see you again."  
  
Ally changed the subject. "How's Detroit? How's Sam?"  
  
"Sam's fine. He's great, actually."  
  
She nodded. "So moving back to Detroit was the best thing."  
  
"About that," he said moving closer to her, "I want to say."  
  
"Don't," she said shaking her head, "What ever you have to say about what happened, I don't want to hear it. We have to keep the past separate. We have to keep this impersonal."  
  
"Impersonal? We're having a baby, you can't get more personal than that."  
  
"Do you want to do the right thing for me and this baby?"  
  
"Yes, that's why I'm here."  
  
"Good, then go back to Detroit and let me raise this baby in peace."  
  
Larry was stunned to hear the words. "You want to cut me out of my child's life?"  
  
"Not forever. Just until it doesn't hurt to be around you. I think you owe me that."  
  
That hit its mark. He did owe her. In fact he would give anything for her not to hate him. But he knew giving up his baby wasn't the answer. "I can't do that, Ally. Anything but that."  
  
She sighed. She knew she was being unreasonable but what was her other choice? She knew the only reason he was in Boston was because of the baby. If she wasn't pregnant, Larry would be spending this Friday night in Detroit and she would be one more step closer to having her life back. "It wouldn't be forever and it's not like you wouldn't be involved. I'll call you when I deliver in February and send you pictures and home movies of the baby. I'll write letters letting you know how the baby is doing and maybe once in a while you can come for a visit and spend time with him or her. I think it's the best solution for everyone."  
  
"Everyone?" he asked mocking her. "Everyone? Not for me, its not. I don't want to be a. I don't even know what you'd call it; it's more of a pen pal than a father. This baby is a part of me too."  
  
"But this baby is inside me and I need to do what is best for us."  
  
"And condemning me to a life as an outside observer in my own child's life is best?"  
  
"And why not? It describes the relationship you had with Sam."  
  
Silence.  
  
Ally gasped. She couldn't believe she had said something so insensitive. Especially when she had been front and center during that time. "Oh my God. Larry I can't believe I said that. I am so sorry."  
  
Larry shook his head. Another bulls-eye. "You were right. I did have that kind of relationship with Sam in the past but I don't any more. He and I have a great relationship and I want the same kind of relationship with this child."  
  
She ran her hands through her hair. "Larry, as long as I have these feelings for you bubbling up to the top, I can't discuss a relationship between us as parents or anything else. I need time. Time to sort out my feelings about this baby and about you and how the three of us are going to connect.  
  
Larry was afraid to give in because he might lose any ground he might have gained tonight. But if he refused to budge, the gap between them might deepen.  
  
"Okay, I'll go."  
  
"You will?" she asked, surprised.  
  
"Yes, I'll go back to Detroit but it's not for good. I'll return in a few weeks and we'll try this again. That should give each of us time to think and decide."  
  
Ally nodded. She should have felt relief but didn't.  
  
Larry looked at his watch. He hoped it wasn't too late to find a motel room. "I need to go. We'll talk soon."  
  
She walked him to the door. "Good night, Larry."  
  
"Good night." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. She flashed to another time when he kissed her on the forehead, the first time he kissed her. She was so caught in the memory, she didn't see or hear him leave. Overwhelmed by it, she fell to her knees sobbing.  
  
Her body was shaking so hard, she didn't notice that Larry had returned and was holding her in his lap.  
  
"It's okay, baby, let it all out."  
  
Eventually the tears subsided, and took a few deep breaths. She unwrapped her arms from around his neck.  
  
He looked down at her face, the face that he fell in love with, the same face that had haunted him the last few months. He wiped her tears with his thumbs and leaned over and gently kissed her. He meant to stop there, but something pushed him and he kissed her again, this time with more passion.  
  
After the first kiss, Ally meant to get up. But something pushed her closer and when he kissed her again, she responded.  
  
Surprised, they both pulled away but their eyes never left. Suddenly, it was a different time and the moment was theirs. He pulled her up and carried her to the couch. 


	3. chapter 3

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Larry turned on the lamp and lit a cigarette. He had quit smoking after law school but started again after moving to Detroit. It was the only way to help him deal with the anxiety he felt after leaving. Ally would have a fit if she saw him. She didn't approve of smoking. However, she was in the bed asleep where he left her. He ran his hand over the couch and could have sworn it was still warm from where they made love hours before. More than anything, he wanted to crawl back into that bed and make love again. But it wasn't going to solve their problems. On the plane, he had worked out a game plan based on her reaction. He didn't think she would jump into his arms and suggest they find a justice of the peace but he also didn't think she would want to cut him out of his child's life completely. Sleeping with her was wrong. He never intended to do it. Not one of his scenarios included having sex. Certainly not three times.  
  
Larry blew out the last of the smoke and stubbed out the cigarette. He had a goal and he had to stay focused on his agenda. The first thing he had to do was get her to trust him again. That wasn't going to be easy, in fact it may be impossible. But he was determined. However, sleeping with her wasn't going to help his case, in fact it may make it harder, if that's possible. The second item on his agenda was convincing her that he would be a good father to their child. He had to convince her that he would be a better father than he was to Sam in the beginning. Another impossible challenge but he was up to it.  
  
The third item was to convince her that he wanted the three of them to be a real family, with two parents who love and are committed to each other and their child. His final hope was by the time Ally delivered in February, all three of these goals were met and they were happily married.  
  
He looked at the clock on the VCR and saw that it was nearing five in the morning. He needed to find a way to deal with what happened without making things worse and decide on his next course of action. After a while, he grabbed a pen and paper from her desk and started to write.  
  
Ally opened her eyes suddenly. Something was wrong, but she wasn't sure what. She tried to focus her eyes on the clock. It was after seven. She turned on her side and saw the imprint of a head on the pillow beside her. It hadn't been a dream. Larry had been there. She sat up and tried to remember what happened.  
  
She remembered crying in his arms, his kiss and then wanting him more than anything else in the world. She shook her head. She couldn't believe she let it happen, much less give in to it with so much passion. She would have to tell him that, although it was an incredible night, it was a mistake and it didn't change anything. But first should would have to find him.  
  
"Larry?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Larry?"  
  
Again, nothing.  
  
She grabbed her bathrobe and went looking for him. She found a note on the kitchen table. A note from Larry. Her hands began to shake. "What am I doing? What could he possibly say in that note that I don't already know?" She opened the envelope and starting reading.  
  
  
  
Dear Ally  
  
You were sleeping so peaceful, I didn't have the heart to wake you and say goodbye. I wanted to but after last night, I figured both you and the baby needed rest. About last night, it should not have happened. It was amazing being with you again but mixing the past with the present won't resolve this. I don't regret it for a second. As I told you last night, I'm giving you that time and space you wanted. As much as it pains me, I won't be contacting you during that time. If you need to reach me for anything, day or night, I have enclosed my business card with all my numbers on it. Otherwise, I will see you in a few weeks. Take care of yourself. Love Larry  
  
Ally read the letter a second time and then a third time. It was uncanny that he knew exactly what was in her heart and head.  
  
Larry opened the door to his apartment and heard the phone ringing.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Larry, it's me."  
  
"Ally," he said with a smile on his face. "I'm happy to hear from you. How are you and the baby?"  
  
"That's why I'm calling. I was just released from the hospital."  
  
Larry's knees buckled and he slid on to the couch.  
  
"The hospital? Why, what happened?"  
  
"I started bleeding and John took me to the hospital."  
  
Larry's heart was pounding and his hands were shaking. "Is the baby."  
  
"We're both okay but I've been confined to bed rest for the next few weeks."  
  
Larry closed his eyes and took deep breaths. "So you're both okay?"  
  
In Boston, Ally was sitting up in bed. The day had taken its toll on her but she wanted to talk to him, to hear his voice. "Yeah, we're both okay. Healthy heart beats all around."  
  
"I'm relieved. Did you hire someone to take care of you?"  
  
"Take care of me? Larry, I've been taking care of myself for quite a while now. I'll be okay."  
  
"I'd just feel better if someone was there helping you."  
  
Touched by his concern, she ran her hand over her slightly swollen belly. "The two of us will be fine. Stop being such an overly concerned father."  
  
"That's the first time you've referred to me as the father and sounded content about it."  
  
Ally snuggled deep inside the covers. "Well, you are the father. There's no changing that. We just have to find a way to deal with it."  
  
In Detroit, Larry stared at the phone. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could she have changed that much in three weeks? "And we will. Look, Ally, about that night and the note, I didn't mean."  
  
"Larry," she interrupted, "I don't blame you for what happened nor am I angry it did. Chalk it up to nostalgia."  
  
Larry shook his head in disbelief. Was she really saying these things? "I'm glad you're not upset. The last thing I want to do is upset you."  
  
"I'm not upset. Nervous about what happened today and exhausted but I'm not angry or upset with you."  
  
"Good." He made some mental notes. "Today's Monday, I'll be back in Boston a week from this Friday."  
  
"Larry, there's no reason for you to come here."  
  
"Don't argue with me, you won't win. You never do."  
  
Ally smiled into her pillow. For the first time in months, she felt happy. Her baby was healthy, and the anger she had felt towards him for so long wasn't there anymore.  
  
"Fine, come if you want. I can't stop you."  
  
Larry grinned. "That's the best invitation I've had all week."  
  
A knock at the door interrupted Ally's nap the next morning. She opened it to find an older woman at the door.  
  
"Ms. McBeal?"  
  
"Yes, I'm Ally McBeal. Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Mrs. Thompson from Stafford Services." She handed Ally her card.  
  
Ally looked over the card and then up at the lady. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Thompson, I'm not sure what it is you want from me."  
  
Mrs. Thompson looked surprised and confused. "From you? No, you have it backwards. I'm here to help you. The agency sent me."  
  
"Mrs. Thompson, I think there has been some sort of mistake. I have never heard of Stafford Services and I didn't call for help."  
  
Mrs. Thompson frowned. "But you are Ally McBeal, yes?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And this is your address?" She showed Ally a computer printout.  
  
"Yes, that's my address."  
  
Mrs. Thompson began skimming the paper. "He was very specific in what he wanted for you."  
  
Ally was confused. "He who?"  
  
Mrs. Thompson's eyes never left the printout. "Here it is. Larry Paul. Does that name sound familiar to you?"  
  
Ally started laughing. "Larry sent you? This is just too much. Larry hired me a nurse after I specifically told him not to?"  
  
"I don't know about any discussion the two of you had but when Mr. Paul called first thing this morning he said he wanted someone to come and stay with you since you were under doctor's orders to remain in bed."  
  
Ally shook her head in amazement. "Mrs. Thompson, I'm sorry for all the inconvenience this has cost you but as I told Larry last night, I don't need any help. I can manage on my own. I'm going to call him and hopefully by lunch you'll be with someone who needs your help." She picked up the phone.  
  
"Ms. McBeal, before you call, may I be frank with you?"  
  
Ally put the phone down. "Of course."  
  
"Ms. McBeal, my husband and I are the owners of Stafford Services and this is the first time in years that I have shown up for a job myself. But listening to his concern over you and his unborn child, I felt that I should be here. He told me about your recent trip to the hospital and the doctor's orders to stay in bed. He was scared, Ms. McBeal, as any man would be when he can't he here to protect those he loves."  
  
Ally swallowed hard. "Did he say that?"  
  
"I believe his exact words were 'they mean everything to me'."  
  
Ally sat down on the couch and tried to collect her thoughts.  
  
"Ms. McBeal, I am the mother of five and the grandmother of twelve and have been married for forty-five years so I feel confident in telling you this. That man I spoke with on the phone loves you very much and is very scared for you. That's why I'm here to help you instead of one of my very capable employees. Why don't you give this a try? You might actually enjoy having me around."  
  
Ally smiled at the kind woman in her living room. "Okay, Mrs. Thompson, we'll give this a try."  
  
Ally closed the door to her bedroom and crawled into the bed. Mrs. Thompson was on her way to the market with a list. She nearly fainted when she saw Ally's nearly bare refrigerator. She tried to explain that take- out is much easier but she insisted on going to the store. When Ally tried to give her money, she waved it away. "Mr. Paul wants all charges sent directly to him. And that includes food."  
  
Ally picked up the phone. She had a few words to say to Saint Larry.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Larry, it's me."  
  
In Detroit, Larry dismissed his paralegal who was reporting on her research findings. Some things were more important.  
  
"How are you feeling today?"  
  
"I'm feeling fine. By the way, I got your gift. She really doesn't go with the room."  
  
Larry closed his eyes. He knew this was coming the moment he called Stafford Services. "Look, Ally, I know you said you didn't need any help and you're probably angry I did this but if you'll just listen to my reasons."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Larry's eyes opened. "What?"  
  
"I said thank you. Sometimes you can be the sweetest, most sensitive man in the world."  
  
Larry made a mental note to have his ears checked. He was still hearing things he couldn't be hearing. "So, you're not mad?"  
  
"I was at first but after listening to Mrs. Thompson's recount of her conversation with you and her thoughts on it, I realized how lucky I am to have you around. Of course if anyone would have told me two months ago that I'd have those thoughts about you, I'd thought they were nuts. But here I am."  
  
"So, you're not angry?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Would you say you're pleased by what I did?"  
  
"I wouldn't go that far."  
  
Larry grinned. "But Mrs. Thompson survived her first meeting with you and you've agreed to let her stay with you?"  
  
"I don't think I have a choice. I'm afraid who you might send next."  
  
"I have to make sure you and our baby are okay. Indulge me in this."  
  
Ally sighed. "Sometimes you make it hard to argue with you."  
  
He chuckled. "That's the idea. Let Mrs. Thompson take care of you and I'll see you at the end of next week."  
  
"Right, the end of next week." 


	4. chapter 4

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 4  
  
The next two weeks went by quickly for Ally. Mrs. Thompson was exactly what she needed. She tended to Ally like a mother would. And when they went to the doctor's office for a check-up, the doctor was pleased with the results.  
  
When they returned to the apartment, Larry was waiting for them.  
  
"Where have you been?" he asked in a near panic.  
  
"A follow-up at the doctor's office. Why are you here so early? You weren't due until tonight."  
  
"What did the doctor say?"  
  
"He said everything looks good but she has to stay in bed another week." Mrs. Thompson extended her hand to Larry. "You must be Mr. Paul. I've been looking forward to meeting you."  
  
He grinned at the older woman and took her hand. "Mrs. Thompson, it's a pleasure to meet you. I can't thank you enough for all your work the last couple of weeks." He glanced over at Ally. "I'm sure it wasn't easy. How was our patient?"  
  
Mrs. Thompson smiled. "She followed the doctor's orders to the letter."  
  
"Did she give you any more problems?"  
  
"She's in the room and she's not a child." Ally said as she crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
Larry chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist.  
  
Mrs. Thompson checked her watch. "I can see I'm leaving you in perfectly good hands, Ally. It was nice getting to know you and I wish you the best of luck on your baby."  
  
Ally's hands dropped. "You're leaving? But I have another week to go."  
  
"And Mr. Paul will do a great job during that time."  
  
"What?" she asked as she turned to him, "What does she mean by that?"  
  
He shrugged. "I had some vacation time coming and I decided to spend some of it here taking care of you."  
  
She opened her mouth but closed it. It would wait until they were alone. She turned to Mrs. Thompson. "I appreciate everything you did for me. Keep me posted on your family especially Ken. Let me know how he enjoys law school." She hugged the other woman.  
  
"Good luck, Ally."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She walked off to her bedroom and closed the door. It was one thing for Larry to be 700 miles away and their only communication was the phone but having him here day and night for a week was asking too much.  
  
She had just slipped into a tee shirt and sweatpants when he opened the door and entered the room.  
  
"Knocking would be appreciated. I might not have been dressed."  
  
He grinned. "Nothing I haven't seen before."  
  
"That was then and this is now. Then it was appropriate because we were involved but now it's not. By the way, where are you staying?"  
  
"Here, with you, but don't worry, I'm sleeping on the couch."  
  
She opened her mouth to argue but thought it to be pointless. Instead she walked over to the dresser and pulled out another tee shirt. "This is the fifth shirt I've had to toss back in the closet because it's too tight." Without thinking, she pulled off the old one and slipped on another. She caught his expression in the mirror. "What?" she asked as she turned around. "Like you said, you've seen it all before."  
  
His face softened. "You're starting to show."  
  
"I've been showing, Larry. Get with the program. I'm just at four months." She caught a different look.  
  
"What?"  
  
"That's my old tee-shirt you're wearing."  
  
"So," she shrugged. "It's one of the only things I have that fits. I haven't been able to shop lately, if you'll remember."  
  
"I thought you got rid of everything of mine."  
  
She climbed into bed. "So I kept a couple of shirts. So what? I bet you kept some of my things."  
  
"I kept everything."  
  
"Everything?" she asked.  
  
He removed his shoes and climbed in next to her.  
  
"Everything. It's all in a box in a closet. I thought about tossing it but I couldn't bring myself to do it."  
  
She was intrigued. "What's in the box?"  
  
"Stupid stuff. The ticket stub from the first movie we saw. The letters you wrote while I was in Detroit the first time, answering machine tape from your calls. Stuff like that."  
  
Ally's heart softened. "I had no idea."  
  
Larry shrugged. He arranged the pillows and got comfy. "It's in the past. Now, let's see if there's anything good on TV this afternoon." He grabbed the remote and started flipping.  
  
Ally just stared at him. All these emotions and feelings were coming to the surface and she didn't know how to handle them. She had tossed most everything and he kept it all. She couldn't believe it.  
  
"How about 'When Harry Met Sally'?"  
  
Ally placed her head on his chest. "A movie about when best friends become lovers. Sounds good. Maybe later, we'll find one where ex-lovers become parents and best friends."  
  
Larry wrapped one arm around her waist and with the other hand, he played with her hair. And maybe, he thought to himself, we'll find one where the ex-lovers fall back in love and become a family.  
  
The next few days were easier than she thought it would be. Larry got up every morning and fixed breakfast. Then they would spend the day playing board games or watching TV. They never talked except about the pregnancy. She had no idea if there was someone special in Detroit and he knew nothing about her personal life. If there was cleaning to do, he did it. If there was shopping to do, he did that too. At night, he would tuck her in and then retire to the couch. It was hard for her, knowing he was out there, missing the way things use to be. But then she'd remind herself that he was there only to make sure she and the baby came through this safe and sound. But it didn't make things any easier.  
  
As for Larry, those nights on the couch were torture. He knew she was in there. She was so close but still so very far away. He was making progress in his plan to win her back. She no longer looked at him with disdain and that evening she had apologized for trying to keep from knowing his child. She told him that they would work something out. The last thing we wanted was a visitation schedule from her. What he did want was for her to ask him to come home.  
  
By Wednesday afternoon, Larry had been there for five days. He would be returning to Detroit in another three. She was anxious to return to work but the idea of him not being there made her sad. The doorbell rang and since Larry was at the store, that left her to get it.  
  
"I have a parcel. Please sign here." The deliveryman handed her a clipboard and she signed her name and took the parcel. "Have a nice day."  
  
Ally closed the door and opened the parcel. She emptied the contents on the table. It took her a few seconds to realize that someone had forwarded all of Larry's mail. She flipped the parcel over and saw his name as the addressee.  
  
"Oops, sorry."  
  
She gathered all the mail up and stuffed it back in the parcel. One lone item was left on the table. It was a postcard from Mexico. She flipped it over to read the message. "Larry, Mexico is incredible. I'm sorry you had to cancel. The weather, the women, oh man, what a place this is. Did I mention how incredible Mexico is? Jeff"  
  
Ally's hands shook as she tried to digest what she had just read. A few minutes later when Larry returned, she had managed to gather her thoughts.  
  
"Why are you up?"  
  
"Someone had to answer the door."  
  
"Oh?" he asked as he put away the groceries. "Who was at the door."  
  
"Someone delivering a package for you. I opened it thinking it was for me but it was all your mail."  
  
He glanced over at it. "Yeah, I had my neighbor send it here. I'll deal with it later."  
  
"I want to deal with it now."  
  
He glanced up from the freezer. "You want to talk about my mail?"  
  
"I want to talk about this post card that came." As she read it to him, she watched his face pale.  
  
"Listen, Ally."  
  
She held her hand up. "Just answer me one question. Did you have plans to spend this week in Mexico with your friend Jeff?"  
  
"Yes, but.."  
  
"How long ago did you make these plans?"  
  
He closed the freezer door and walked towards her. "It's not important."  
  
"How long?" she asked again.  
  
"About six months." He tried to read her feelings in her eyes but he couldn't.  
  
"And how long after you found out my doctor ordered bed rest did you change those plans and decide to come here instead?"  
  
"Instantly. I knew you wouldn't approve so that's why I didn't tell you. There's no way I could have enjoyed Mexico. I would have spent the entire time worrying about you. I am.."  
  
He didn't finish the sentence because the second her lips touched his, all else was forgotten. As the kiss deepened, their arms found their way around each other.  
  
Ally pulled back first. "That was..."  
  
"Don't say it was a mistake."  
  
She smiled. "I kissed you, remember? It was not a mistake."  
  
"Then what was it? Another way to say thank you? Because in my experience a kiss like that says way more than just thank you. And that one was definitely a prelude to something more."  
  
She stared at him. "I don't know why I kissed you like that. I guess realizing what you gave up to be here made me a little sentimental."  
  
He looked her in the eyes. "Pay attention, Ally, I did not give up or sacrifice anything to be here. I'm here because it's where I want to be. If you were in Arizona or Alaska, I'd be there too. Haven't you figured it out yet? I'm still in love with you."  
  
"No, Larry, you're not in love with me. You're in love with the idea of becoming a father again and you're transferring it on to me."  
  
He stared at her as if he had never seen her before. "How can you say that? I have done everything to respect your wishes about my part in all this. I stayed away, I didn't call, why would I do that if I didn't love you?"  
  
She lowered herself to the couch. "Because the only reason you came back was because you learned I was pregnant. If John had just minded his own business in the first place, you would be enjoying Mexico right now."  
  
"If John had minded his own business, I would never have known about this baby and I never would have had this opportunity to insert myself back into your life. John gave me the 'in' I had been praying for."  
  
"What?" she said completely confused.  
  
He sat down beside her and took her hand. "Leaving you was the worst mistake I ever made but I didn't know how to fix it. I thought about surprising you with a visit, calling, mailing a letter, an email to work, you name it, I thought about it. But each time I dismissed it because I knew you would never want to see me again much less forgive me. But then John showed up and told me that you were pregnant. Once I picked my self off the floor, literally, I knew it was the sign I had been waiting for. You were expecting my child and I was thrilled. Terrified but thrilled."  
  
Ally swallowed and tried to clear her voice. "Let me see if I got this right, you regretted leaving me but were too much of a coward to come to me and admit what you did and ask my forgiveness so you decide I'm not worth a little rejection. And then John comes and tells you I'm pregnant and you use it to push your self back into my life because you knew I'd be distracted and emotional. Do I have this right?"  
  
"No," he said as he jumped up. "Absolutely not. I love you and I would do anything to make things right between us."  
  
"Including deceiving me?"  
  
"I never deceived you."  
  
"Oh, yes you did. I specifically told you as did John that I wanted no part of you. But you ignored both of us and came anyway. I told you I wasn't ready to see you again much less discuss the future but you pushed anyway. I told you I didn't need any help but you sent Mrs. Thompson. Push push push. Then you decide you're moving in. More pushing."  
  
Larry frowned. He didn't like the way she made it sound. "It wasn't like that."  
  
"Of course it was. Like always, you made the decision for everyone. You decided to leave me, you decided that I needed help and you've decided that the three of us are going to be a family. Where do I fit in, Larry? Where's my decisions?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Nowhere, that's for sure. You decided that the three of us were going to be a family and to hell with what I want."  
  
"What did you want?"  
  
"I wanted time. I told you that in the beginning. Time to think and decide how I felt. Time to decide if I could trust you again."  
  
"Yes, that was my plan..."  
  
"Your plan? You had a plan?"  
  
"Forget it."  
  
"No, I want to hear about this plan."  
  
"Fine. I knew you wouldn't give me the time of day so I had to be prepared. First was to win your trust back. The second was to convince you that I could be a good father to this child."  
  
"And the third?"  
  
"To convince you to marry me."  
  
Ally stared at him. "You egotistical, self serving jackass. You manipulated me."  
  
"How can you say that?"  
  
"You said it, just now. All this stuff you did to get to me. But it was all for you. It wasn't about me, it was about you. You wanted me and that was it. What Larry wants, Larry gets. I am such an idiot. I fell for all of it. The touching letter you left me; sending me Mrs. Thompson; you moving in and sleeping on the couch. I was actually starting to trust you again. That part of your plan worked like a charm. Actually come to think of it, your entire plan was working. I was beginning to think of us as a family. I was dreaming about being a family. What a fool I was."  
  
"No," he said grabbing her arm. "You are not a fool."  
  
She shook her arm free. "I am the fool. I was beginning to fall for you again. Imagine that. Me, in love with a man who doesn't love me."  
  
"Of course I love you."  
  
She shook her head. "No, you don't. A man in love doesn't leave her with a note; a man in love doesn't give up because he's afraid of what she might say; and a man in love doesn't make plans to manipulate her into coming back to him. No, Larry, you're not a man in love. You're not even a man. You're a coward. And I want you to leave."  
  
"Where, back to Detroit?"  
  
"Or Mexico. I don't give a damn. But I want you gone. I'm not the same person you left all those months ago. You forced me to take a hard look at my life and I didn't like the way it looked. You became my life and when you left, you took it with you and I had nothing. But no more. I have this child and I won't let you manipulate me anymore. I will send word to you when it's born."  
  
"And after that?"  
  
"We'll sit down and decide." She took a deep breath. "I loved you more than I thought humanly possible. Why couldn't you have been honest with me?"  
  
"I don't know." 


	5. chapter 5

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Larry called a ten-minute break and his meeting disassembled. He reached into his drawer and pulled out a photo of him and Ally taken at the bar long ago. He traced his finger over her face. It had been two months since she told him to leave. Two whole months without a word. Not from her or anyone in Boston. He tried several times but no one would talk to him. Not even Elaine, the office gossip. They had all been issued a gag order. He didn't know if Ally was still pregnant or anything. He nearly called the airlines many times for flights to Boston but always stopped. There would be no more pushing from his end.  
  
He ran his hand through his hair. She had been right about everything. He had pushed her. He hadn't meant to but he had. He also didn't consider her feelings. He just assumed they would fall into place. He knew what he was doing and that was all there was to it.  
  
And now she was six months along. Thanksgiving was tomorrow and he couldn't think of a single thing to be thankful for. Except for Sam, of course. Jamie had invited him to celebrate with her and Sam but he declined. He wanted to be alone.  
  
A knock at the door brought him back. His secretary popped her head in the door. "Everyone is back to finish the meeting. I have to run to the supply room and you had a phone call earlier."  
  
"Who was it?"  
  
"It was your Miss McBeal."  
  
Larry nearly fell on the floor. "Ally called? Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Because you said 'no calls' and I took that to mean from everyone."  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
"She said that she was coming to Detroit to see you and would be at your place at six or so."  
  
Larry looked at his watch. "Okay, I'm going to rush this meeting and get everyone out by four. I should be home by almost five. I need to have dinner waiting when she gets there." He looked up at her. "Becky, you have three kids, what do pregnant women eat at six months?"  
  
Becky hid a grin. "From my personal experience, anything they can get."  
  
He grinned back. "Right. Could you have the Chinese place on Appleton Street deliver some food?"  
  
"How much and what kind?"  
  
"I have no idea. A variety of food. I'll leave it in your hands. And there's an extra ten in it if they have it delivered by seven."  
  
"I'll get right on it."  
  
Larry rushed home after the meeting ended. His pattern for the last couple of months had been work, work, and more work. No one had seen him this excited to leave in a long time. He was always the first one at the office and the last one to leave. He tossed his coat in the closet and surveyed the apartment. Everything looked good. The food was due within the hour, and Ally was due at any time. He had wanted more time to collect his thoughts before she arrived but he had forgotten what traffic was like the day before Thanksgiving.  
  
Six came and went. Same for six fifteen. By six forty-five, he was near panic. When the doorbell rang at seven, he nearly pulled it off its hinges.  
  
"You're late," he said.  
  
"And you," she said as she handed him three bags of food, "owe me $38.50 not including tip." She walked past him and took a look around. "It's nice. Homey even."  
  
He put the food on the table. "Your message said six. I was getting worried."  
  
"I don't get around as fast as I use to." She removed her coat. "Besides, the airport was a nightmare. You'd think it was a holiday or something."  
  
She turned and caught him staring at her. "Yes?"  
  
"I was just looking at you. You are really beautiful."  
  
She laughed. "You may be a tad biased but thanks."  
  
He continued to stare at her.  
  
"Larry, please stop staring. And get some plates. I'm starving."  
  
"Sure." He went into the kitchen and pulled two plates out of the cabinet. "What are you drinking these days?"  
  
"Water. It's the only thing that doesn't give me indigestion."  
  
He carried the plates out and set them on the table. She opened a box of fried rice.  
  
"You might want to be forewarned, everything gives me indigestion. I'm not a pleasant person to be around during meal time. Kelsey and I have been asked to leave a restaurant more than once recently."  
  
Larry frowned. "Who's Kelsey?"  
  
Ally chuckled. "Didn't I mention it? This is Kelsey," she said as she rubbed her belly.  
  
Larry was dumbfounded. "You mean we're having a girl?"  
  
"Yup." She opened a box of lo-mein noodles and began to transfer them to her plate. She caught Larry staring at her again. "Will you stop doing that? It's kind of creepy."  
  
"We're having a girl? How long have you known?"  
  
Ally pulled out an egg roll. "All questions will be answered after dinner. If you don't eat with me, then I'm going to end up eating it all and between the heartburn and Kelsey's constant movement, I'll be up all night."  
  
Larry began to fix his plate, all the while his mind is racing. "She moves?"  
  
"Quite a bit. I'm not sure I can survive another three months of this. I don't think she'll last until mid February. I wouldn't be surprised if she arrives a few weeks early."  
  
"What does the doctor say?"  
  
"He tells me that there is no reason for Kelsey to come early but what does he know? How many times has he been pregnant?"  
  
Larry shook his head and pinched his arm under the table to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Was this really happening?  
  
She looked over at him and smiled. "You're not imagining things, Larry. I'm really here. After we eat, I'll tell you all about it."  
  
After the dinner dishes were done, Larry joined Ally on the couch.  
  
"Are you comfortable?"  
  
"Ha. I haven't been comfortable in weeks. And I hear the best is yet to come." She put her feet in his lap. "Would you mind rubbing my feet? They hurt all the time and I can't get to them."  
  
"Sure, only if you start talking." He picked up the left foot and started at the toes.  
  
"Okay, here goes. Two months ago after you left."  
  
"A little clarification here. I did not leave. You threw me out."  
  
"Okay, fine. Anyway, after you left, I returned to work and was really a pain in the butt. Think Nelle on a bad day and then add Ling to the mix."  
  
"That sounds pretty bad."  
  
"It was. No one wanted to be around me. Even my best friend John would avoid me. Finally after I made three secretaries cry, John demanded that I see a shrink at once or else. So on the advice of a friend, I made an appointment with Dr. Paula Wyatt."  
  
"Another shrink?"  
  
"Yes but she was amazing. She got right to what was important. And that was you and me and this baby. She made me realize that I overreacted before."  
  
"No you didn't."  
  
"Yes I did. What I didn't realize at the time was that I was trying to push you away before you would leave on your own again. The small details, your plan, the trip to Mexico, hiring Mrs. Thompson, they were just excuses to get you to go. I also realized that what you had done was because you loved me."  
  
"They were, Ally. They were never meant to manipulate you or hurt you in any way."  
  
"I know that now. But at the time, I was so confused and emotional that I was doing all the wrong things. My sessions with Dr. Wyatt became about you and me and our future. I had a lot of baggage, Larry. I had to deal with what happened in May, this pregnancy, you returning and wanting to start over. Dr. Wyatt and I met several times a week. Then about three weeks ago, two things happened. On my regular doctor visit, I found out Kelsey was a girl. I was so excited. Then a couple days later my parents announced that they were getting a divorce after nearly forty years of marriage."  
  
Larry's face softened. "Oh, Ally. I'm sorry."  
  
"It doesn't matter if you're eight, fifteen or in your thirties, when parents divorce, it hurts. My relationship with my mother was strained at best. But my relationship with my dad was my rock. He was my rock. I wanted Kelsey to have a better relationship with her mother. But I also wanted her to have the kind of strong bond with her dad that I had with mine. That would be you."  
  
He grinned. "I remember."  
  
"Well, I took all this to Dr. Wyatt and we laid it out on the table. For Kelsey to have that kind of relationship with you, I had to either give in or get out. But either way, I had to stop waffling and make a decision. She asked me if I still loved you. Of course, she always asked that question."  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"The same as I always did. Yes, I still loved you but I couldn't trust you. Except this time, she asked me another question. Did I love you enough to try and repair our relationship? At first I thought she was asking if I could take you back but I was wrong. She was asking if I was willing to try. Did I love you enough to try? And then I realized I did."  
  
Larry was speechless. "So, Dr. Wyatt suggested I come to you and see if there was anything left between us. For all I know, you might have gotten involved with someone else or you're feelings for me had changed."  
  
"No," he said, finding his voice. "There isn't anyone else and my feelings are exactly the same."  
  
"That answers that. Anyway, I knew Thanksgiving was coming up and I decided to spend it with you. It would give us time to talk and it would be our first family holiday, you, me and Kelsey. By the way, how do you feel about the name? It's not carved in stone but it feels right."  
  
He smiled and placed his hand on her bulging tummy. "It feels incredibly right. Kelsey Paul. It's a great name."  
  
"Yes, it is." She yawned. "I'm sleepy. I have a hard time staying awake these days. I made a reservation at a hotel in case things went differently."  
  
"Cancel them. You'll stay in my bed and I'll sleep in Sam's."  
  
"I'm not going to kick you out of your bed."  
  
He held out his hand to help her up. "My apartment, my bed, my rules. By the way, how long are you staying?"  
  
"My ticket says Saturday unless you get tired of having a cranky, indigested, pregnant woman hanging around and you throw me out."  
  
"That will never happen." He grabbed her suitcase and walked her to the bedroom door. He kissed her lightly on the lips. "Good night, Ally."  
  
"Good night, Larry." She closed the door behind her.  
  
Larry touched the door and smiled. Suddenly, he had a lot to be thankful for. 


	6. chapter 6

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 6  
  
In the morning, Larry woke with a smile on his face. It was Thanksgiving Day and he and Ally were going to spend it together as a couple. He turned on his side and thought about what she said last night. She still loved him enough to come to Detroit and try to fix what happened. He couldn't ask for more than that.  
  
He threw the covers off and decided to fix breakfast for her. But it didn't take him long to realize he was alone in the apartment. Certain she had taken off for the airport, he threw on some more clothes and opened the front door.  
  
"Here," she said as she handed him two bags.  
  
Surprised, he stepped back. "Where have you been?"  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, Dad, I met some friends at the library." She took one of the bags from him and stepped inside. "What's got you all panicky?"  
  
He set both bags on the table. "I woke up and you were gone."  
  
She pulled out a chair and sat down. "And you thought I'd what, gone back to Boston?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Larry, if you had thought about it before panicking, you might have noticed the note sitting on the coffee table or that my clothes were still in the bedroom."  
  
"Oh. I guess I didn't think."  
  
"It's nice to hear the great Larry Paul admit he's wrong. Now, I bought stuff for breakfast so you can cook for me."  
  
He cocked his head to one side. "Really?"  
  
"And I found this little deli that's open today and they've agreed to put together a little Thanksgiving meal for us."  
  
"Ally, for all you know, I might have had something special in mind."  
  
"No, you didn't. I checked. Now, you must pick up the food by three before they close."  
  
Larry fixed breakfast and the two of them ate while watching the parade on TV. Afterwards she pulled out a sonogram and handed it to Larry.  
  
"Our daughter's first picture."  
  
Ally pointed out all the body parts to him. "I hope she has your dark hair and blue eyes."  
  
He stared at the picture. "And I hope she has your smile. It seems so unreal."  
  
"What does?"  
  
"All of it. I can't believe you're really here."  
  
"I am." She touched his cheek. "Larry, I'm sorry for the way we left things in Boston."  
  
He placed his hand over hers on his cheek. "I want you to know."  
  
A knock at the door brought them back.  
  
"I better get that," said Larry.  
  
"And I need to get to the bathroom."  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.  
  
"I'm fine. But mother nature calls. Answer the door."  
  
She disappeared into the bathroom as Larry answered the door. It was his good buddy Jeff and his girlfriend Kate.  
  
"Jeff, Kate. I wasn't expecting you." He closed the door behind them.  
  
"Kate felt bad that you were all alone on Thanksgiving so we decided to come and force you to have Thanksgiving dinner with us at Kate's parents house."  
  
"It would mean so much to me, Larry," Kate added.  
  
Larry nodded. "I appreciate the offer, guys. But the thing is, I'm not alone."  
  
Jeff smiled. "Is Sam here?"  
  
Larry shook his head. "No, not Sam."  
  
At that moment, Ally exited the bathroom. She turned and saw three pairs of eyes on her.  
  
"Oh. Staring in stereo."  
  
Larry took her hand as she came closer. "Jeff, Kate, this is Ally."  
  
It was quite evident that neither Jeff nor Kate had expected this. And neither knew what to say.  
  
Kate recovered first. "It's nice to finally meet you, Ally. I have heard so much about you. When are you due?"  
  
Larry placed his hand on her stomach. "In February and we can't wait."  
  
The cell phone in Ally's purse began to ring. "I need to get that. Please excuse me for a second." She grabbed her purse and hurried into the bedroom.  
  
As soon as she was out of sight, Jeff grabbed Larry's arm. "You want to explain this to me? Because, man, I'm confused why you would invite her into your home after the hell she put you through in September?"  
  
Larry jerked his arm free. "There is a lot you don't know, Jeff."  
  
"Are you the father of her child?" asked Kate.  
  
"Yes, I am. And before you say anything, Jeff, let me make this clear. Yes, the child is mine. There is no doubt about that. I found out right after she did. She's the reason I had to cancel Mexico. There was a problem with the pregnancy but everything is fine now. I never told you about it because it was personal and complicated and I wasn't ready to share it with anyone."  
  
"Jamie and Sam included?" asked Kate.  
  
"Jamie and Sam have no idea. This has been very hard on both of us. I still love her but after what I did to her, she lost all faith and trust in me. And then you add an unplanned pregnancy in the mix and you get."  
  
"A great big mess," supplied Jeff. "And she came here because."  
  
"Because she still loves me and wants to try and fix the relationship."  
  
Jeff sighed. "I wish you luck."  
  
"Your friends think you've lost your mind where I'm concerned, don't they?" Ally posed this question as they shared their Thanksgiving meal.  
  
Larry thought for a second. "Yeah, they do. But they don't understand the history or see what's below the surface. But I'm sure John Cage thinks the same of you."  
  
"Actually John has been trying to get me to do this for a long time. He was impressed by the efforts you made in September."  
  
Larry grinned. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah but did I listen to him? Nope. It took a hundred dollars an hour therapist to tell me the exact same thing."  
  
"That would be your Dr. Wyatt?"  
  
"The one and the same. I'm not the same person I was in May or even the same one from two months ago. Dr. Wyatt has made me realize that the decisions I make now can not be based on past events or feelings. I'm wiping the slate clean. No looking back." She dropped her fork on the table. "Having said that, I'll take care of these dishes."  
  
Larry shook his head. "No, you won't. You are a guest in my home and guests never do the dishes."  
  
She stood up and picked up some plates. "Larry, first of all, I'm not a guest. I dropped in unannounced. And second, you went and got the dinner, it's the least I can do."  
  
He opened his mouth but she interjected. "While I'm doing this, why don't you go get a deck of cards and some chips. I'm in the mood to beat you at poker." She disappeared into the kitchen.  
  
Beat me at poker? Yeah right, he thought to himself with a grin.  
  
Three hours later Ally was up by fifty bucks. "That was fun," she said as she gathered all her chips close. "That fifty bucks will come in handy with diapers."  
  
Larry couldn't believe she had actually beaten him. How could it have happened? "Did you cheat?"  
  
She wiggled her feet that were in the chair closest to her. "Did you see me cheat?"  
  
"Well, no."  
  
"Okay then." She stood up and stretched. "I'm beat. What's on the agenda for tomorrow?"  
  
Larry had to think for a second. "Jamie is bringing Sam over around lunch time. I think it's time to tell him about the baby."  
  
She shrugged. "That's your call. I'll follow your lead."  
  
"Okay, and then later I thought I'd take you on a tour of Detroit."  
  
She smiled. "Could be an interesting day." She walked over and kissed him lightly on the lips. She was about to wish him good night when he pulled deeper into the kiss. She pulled back. "Stop. It's too soon. Let's take it one day at a time. Can you do that?"  
  
He kissed her on the cheek. "I can do that. Good night, Ally."  
  
An hour later she was still awake. That kiss had triggered things off inside her that made her head spin. She knew he was only a few feet away, probably thinking about her too. Frustrated at her self, she fluffed the pillow but in the process, knocked over the lamp. It made a loud racket as it hit the floor.  
  
Within seconds, Larry was at the door. "What was that?"  
  
"I think I broke your lamp."  
  
Larry looked down at the mess on the floor. "I'd say that's a pretty good assumption. I'd better clean it up."  
  
"I'll help." She tossed the covers back.  
  
"No, no, you stay in bed. I don't want you bending over or squatting in your condition."  
  
A few minutes later the remains of the lamp was in the garbage.  
  
"Tomorrow I'll buy you a new lamp. A better lamp. One that does not break when you drop it."  
  
Larry raised an eyebrow. "Why were you dropping my lamp?"  
  
Ally chuckled. "I wasn't. I couldn't sleep and so I was tossing and turning and I guess I tossed one time to many and knocked the lamp off."  
  
"Oh," he said. "Why couldn't you sleep?"  
  
She stared at him as he stood three feet from her. Conflict waged within her. Tell him or keep quiet? Dr. Wyatt's words ran through her head. 'Don't be afraid of what you're feeling.'  
  
She took a deep breath. "I kept thinking about you in the next room." There, she had said it.  
  
Larry took this as a good sign and moved closer. He sat at the end of the bed. "You couldn't sleep because you were thinking about me?"  
  
She nodded. "Yes, that's right. Why are you smiling?" she asked when she saw his face light up.  
  
"Because that's what I've been doing for the last hour. Hell, for the last two nights."  
  
Ally knew that the next move would have to be hers. Larry wasn't going to try anything again. She had already made her position clear. She knew that what she was about to do would change everything. There would be no going back. She reached out and touched his face. "Make love to me, Larry."  
  
Larry jerked back. He wasn't expecting that. Hoping, yes but not expecting. He removed her hand and intertwined it with his. "Is that what you really want?" His heart was beating fast.  
  
"I want you."  
  
Without any words, he gently pushed her back onto the bed. "That's what I want too."  
  
Larry opened his eyes and saw from the light that morning had just broke. They had finally fallen asleep after making love for hours. He was amazed at how great he felt after only two hours of sleep. He glanced over at Ally as she slept with her head on his chest. He could hardly believe that it had really happened. But there she was, the woman he loved, pregnant with his child, sleeping in his arms. It was his fantasy come true.  
  
"You're smiling again."  
  
Larry pulled her closer. "How can I not smile? Last night was amazing, as was this morning."  
  
"Mmm. Sleep." She snuggled deeper into the covers.  
  
A few hours later, Ally woke to the smell of breakfast. Her stomach growled so she grabbed her bathrobe and went in search of its source.  
  
She found him fully dressed cooking up a storm in the kitchen. She stood behind him and rested her cheek against his back. "Good morning."  
  
He turned around and gathered her close. "Good morning." He kissed her on the lips. "How did you sleep?"  
  
"Amazingly well since there were three of us in a full size bed. How did you sleep?"  
  
He turned back to the stove to continue cooking. "Best night's sleep I've had in months. Hungry?"  
  
"Starved."  
  
"Good. After we eat, I'm going to take you on that tour of Detroit and then we'll come back, eat lunch and then wait for Sam to arrive."  
  
She frowned. "Do you think he'll be happy about his sister?"  
  
"I think he'll be thrilled." 


	7. chapter 7

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 7  
  
As Ally brushed her wet hair, she stared at the bed and thought about their night together. Was it a mistake? Were things moving too fast? She didn't intend to sleep with him this weekend. In fact, it was the one thing she promised her self she wasn't going to do. She wanted to give it more time. She had a lot riding on this. But seeing him standing there watching her, as he had so many times before, caused her to forget her promise and go after what she wanted, what they both wanted.  
  
She dried her hair with a hair dryer and pulled it into a ponytail. She surveyed herself in his front length mirror. It was painfully obvious to anyone who saw her that she was quite pregnant. Her doctor wanted her to gain at least another twenty pounds before she delivered. Ally shuttered at the thought. She sat down on the bed and slipped into her tennis shoes. Although she tried, she simply couldn't tie them.  
  
"That's it, no more shoes with laces." She opened the door. "Larry, I can't tie my shoes. Can you help." Three pairs of eyes turned and stared.  
  
"Oh my God," said Jamie.  
  
"Ally!" Sam exclaimed with glee. "You're here." He turned to his dad. "Is she.?"  
  
Larry smiled and nodded. "Yes, Sam, she's pregnant. You're going to have a baby sister."  
  
Sam's face lit up. "A sister? I'm getting a baby sister?" When?"  
  
"In February," Ally inserted. "Come sit with me, Sam and I'll let you feel the baby move. And when we're done, you can tie my shoes."  
  
Ally answered all of Sam's questions and let him feel the baby move all the while watching Larry and Jamie have a serious discussion. After a few minutes, Jamie turned her attention back to Sam and Ally saw the look in her face. It was the look of sadness.  
  
A short time later Jamie left with Sam in tow, who made Ally promise that she was going to keep him informed of her condition.  
  
"That's a deal, buddy."  
  
  
  
Larry closed the door behind them. "I wasn't expecting them so early but I think that went well."  
  
"For Sam it did. I'm not so sure about Jamie. That was quite an intense conversation you two were having. Do you want to tell me about it?" Her back was bothering her so she sat down on the couch and picked up the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table.  
  
Larry stood back and debated on whether or not to tell her. No more secrets, he decided. "I'll tell you but you won't like it."  
  
The way he said it gave her a pretty good idea of what he was going to say. "You slept with Jamie, didn't you?"  
  
Larry was flabbergasted. "How could you have known that?"  
  
Ally smiled at his stunned face. "It wasn't a big jump. When she left, Jamie looked like a woman whose heart had been broken. And what other secret could you have involving Jamie?"  
  
He sat down opposite her on the coffee table. "How mad are you?"  
  
"I'm not mad, Larry. To be honest, I'm not pleased you were with her but it was my decision to send you away. It would be a little hypocritical of me to be mad at you."  
  
He stared at her for a long minute. "Okay, where's my Ally and what have you done with her?"  
  
She laughed. "It's still me. The mature me. Tell me about you and Jamie."  
  
He eyed her suspiciously. "Why?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Just give me the basics."  
  
"Okay, the basics. It was the night I returned. I was feeling pretty low. We had had that terrible fight and you said you would raise the baby on your own. Jamie came by with Sam's report card for me to look at. She saw how depressed I was and tried to cheer me up. She opened a bottle of wine and starting talking about old times and that was it."  
  
She frowned. "A little wine and conversation was all it took?"  
  
"A little wine and conversation can go along way when you were as depressed as I was."  
  
"So, that was it? Just the one time?"  
  
"Just the one time. Afterwards I fell asleep so I didn't see her leave to pick Sam up from a bowling party. I wish I had been awake because she got it in her head that this was the beginning for us again and told Sam the next day."  
  
"Oh no. What happened?"  
  
"Sam called the next day and wanted to know if I was moving back in. I had no idea where he had gotten that idea from so I asked him."  
  
"And he said that Jamie told him." Ally reached out and squeezed Larry's hand.  
  
"That's right. She made it sound like we were going to be family again. I stopped by after work and to have a private conversation."  
  
Ally listened as Larry recalled the scene.  
  
"Jamie, what happened should not have happened. It was a mistake and it's wrong to let Sam think it was anything more."  
  
"Larry, it wasn't a mistake. I know you're still not over Ally but you will be in time. Last night was a very good first step."  
  
"There's a lot you don't know."  
  
"I know you're not ready yet but I'm a very patient person. I can wait."  
  
Ally grabbed a handful of popcorn. "Why didn't you tell her about the baby? That would have put an end to her fantasy."  
  
"Because that was between the two of us. It had nothing to do with her."  
  
"So, how did you explain things when she saw us?"  
  
"Very carefully."  
  
"How long have you known that she was pregnant with your child?"  
  
"I found out right after she did."  
  
"That's just great, Larry. And it didn't occur to you to tell your son or his mother about this new development?"  
  
"I didn't tell anybody. The last thing I expected was for my ex- girlfriend to discover she was pregnant."  
  
"How convinent for her."  
  
"Look Jamie, if you're implying something here, don't. This pregnancy was not planned on either side but my daughter is due in three months and I want to make some definite plans before that happens. That's why Ally's here. We need to sit down and make some decisions."  
  
He took the popcorn from Ally's lap. "That's when you and Sam finished chatting."  
  
"It definitely explains the look on her face. I feel bad for her."  
  
"You do?" exclaimed Larry. "Why?"  
  
"Because I know what it's like to have the man you love be in love with someone else. It was a rotten feeling with Billy and I'm sure it's a rotten feeling for her with you."  
  
Larry shrugged. "I made it perfectly clear right from the beginning what my feeling were."  
  
"And then you slept with her. Larry, you may be a smart man but you are still a man."  
  
"And what is that suppose to mean?"  
  
"You slept with her because you needed someone and she was there. She slept with you because she still loves you. It's no wonder she thought it was a new beginning for the two of you."  
  
Larry placed his head in his hands. "I didn't mean to hurt her."  
  
She moved and sat beside him on the coffee table. She placed an arm around his shoulder. "I know you didn't, baby. You don't set out to hurt people you care about. And I know how much you care about Jamie."  
  
He looked up at her.  
  
"It's okay for you to care about her. I'd be worried if you didn't since she's the mother of your child, just like I am. I can understand about her being upset about being kept in the dark."  
  
"I hated keeping it to my self but."  
  
She took his hand and squeezed it. "Things were much a mess with us. It was wrong of me to try and shut you out. Regardless of what happened between us, our child shouldn't be punished for the stupid thing her mother does."  
  
"Or what her father does. It was incredibly stupid for me to come to Boston and makes those demands on you. I didn't think about your feelings. I handled it badly. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. But I'm most sorry I ever left you to begin with. I don't think I will regret anything more in my life."  
  
A tear slid down her cheek. "Thank you for saying that."  
  
"Let me make something crystal clear." He turned to her and placed his hands on her face. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I can't promise it won't happen again but I love you and I love our baby."  
  
More tears fell and he wiped them away with his thumbs. He gently kissed her. He took her hand and walked her to the bedroom. 


	8. chapter 8

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 8  
  
"We are quite a pair, Larry." Ally had her head on his chest and he had his hand on her swollen stomach.  
  
"How so?"  
  
"I am twelve weeks away from having this child and the only thing we have decided on is her name. We have a lot to discuss before I leave tomorrow."  
  
"I guess we do. I think we should get married."  
  
Ally froze for a moment. Then she sat up and turned to him. "That's a nice offer but it's really not necessary."  
  
Larry frowned as her words sank in. He up and stared at her. "Nice offer? Not necessary? Do you think I want to get married just because you're pregnant?"  
  
Ally was confused by the anger in his face and his voice. "Larry, what are..."  
  
"Did you think that maybe I want to marry you because I love you? People get married for love all the time. Or hadn't you heard?"  
  
One step too far. Ally grabbed her robe and slipped it on. "Don't talk down to me, Larry Paul. I know most people marry for love but you are not most people. You once told me that you couldn't see yourself getting married again because you were no good at it. You say you love me but the one time you propose, correction, you suggest marriage it's because I'm pregnant."  
  
Larry got out of the bed and pulled his pants on. "Stay right there." He left the room but was back within seconds. "I'm going to prove you wrong." He handed her a small velvet box.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Open it and find out."  
  
Ally opened the box to find an exquisite diamond ring inside. She couldn't find her voice. "It's..um. beautiful. Whose is it?"  
  
He lifted her face so they were eye to eye. "The ring is yours, Ally. I bought it for you."  
  
Tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh. I can't believe you bought me an engagement ring." The lawyer in her began to sort through the fog in her head. "Why do you have an engagement ring for me? You didn't know I was going to be here this weekend and you certainly didn't have time to shop for a ring in the last two days. Where did the ring come from?"  
  
"I bought it at Quinlan's."  
  
"Quinlan's? The only Quinlan's I know of is in Boston and it closed in June when Mr. Quinlan retired."  
  
Larry knew he was in deep trouble. "I bought the ring in late April."  
  
Ally tried to swallow over the lump in her throat. "You bought me an engagement ring in April? I don't remember you proposing to me. I'm pretty sure I would remember that."  
  
"I didn't propose. Sit down while I tell you what happened."  
  
She sat and listened as he explained about the mix-up with the dessert and everything that followed.  
  
Ally closed her eyes. "Let me see if I have this right. You wanted to marry me enough to buy an engagement ring but not enough to propose?"  
  
"I was going to propose but the ...."  
  
"Dessert fiasco. Yes, you mentioned it. The Larry I knew would not have let something as insignificant as a confused waiter stop him from doing what he wanted to do. The Larry I knew would have stopped on my front stoop, where he once left me a snowman, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him."  
  
Larry's cell phone interrupted their conversation.  
  
"You better get that."  
  
He shook his head. "No, it can wait."  
  
"It might be important. Go."  
  
Ally quickly dressed and was nearly packed when Larry returned.  
  
"It was Sam. He did some research on babies on the internet and had all sorts of questions and suggestions for me." He noticed she was dressed and packing. "Ally, please don't leave."  
  
"I have to. I can't stay here."  
  
He touched her shoulder. "Please. Let's talk about this."  
  
She took a deep breath. "There's nothing to talk about. Seven months ago you decided to ask me to marry you but when it came down to the wire, you changed your mind and left me." She took another deep breath and ordered herself not to cry. She had shed far too many tears over this man. "I convinced myself that coming here this weekend would be a new beginning for us. Maybe I was looking for a love that never existed in the first place."  
  
He gently took her hands. "It did exist then and it still does. I love you and I want us to be a real family. Not co-parents like with Jamie but real parents, parents who love each other. It's what I've wanted since John showed up in my office that day. It's what I wanted all along."  
  
She shook one hand free and placed it on his cheek. "I love you, Larry Paul, with all my heart and soul. But Kelsey needs more than two parents that love each other. She needs two parents who will give her stability."  
  
"That can be us."  
  
Ally removed her hand from his face and pulled the other one free from his grasp. "How? You ran at the thought of marriage to me."  
  
Larry turned and faced the mirror. He could see her in the reflection. "I've said it to you, to myself and to other people that leaving you was the worst thing I have ever done. I regretted it the second I stepped on that plane."  
  
"Then why didn't you come back?"  
  
"Because I knew I had done the one thing I had promised I would never do." His eyes locked into hers in the mirror.  
  
"That you would never leave me."  
  
Neither one said anything for a long moment.  
  
"I knew that any faith and trust you had in me was destroyed so I let the plane leave with me on board."  
  
Ally's eyes stung and her throat hurt. "I can't do this again, Larry. I can't go through it. It nearly killed me the first time. She grabbed her suitcase and reached for the door. Her fingers wrapped around the cold metal but she didn't move. "I'm tired, Larry. I'm so tired of us constantly hurting each other."  
  
He stood several feet back. He was afraid to move any closer for fear she might leave. "So am I."  
  
She stared at her hand on the doorknob. "I wish we could go back to the beginning when everything was new and romantic and I thought we'd be together forever."  
  
He took a step closer. "I don't. It was too easy then."  
  
"Too easy? How can you say that?"  
  
"I don't want easy anymore, Ally. I want hard." He wished she would turn around but maybe this was better. "I want to take turns getting up in the middle of the night to take care of Kelsey. I want to take her to school and watch her dance recitals. I want to tuck her in bed and then crawl into bed with you. I want to argue with you over bills and who's going to cook dinner. I want us celebrate the good times and lean on each other when things are bad. I want it all and I want it forever. I love you and I want us to be a real family."  
  
Ally's hand shook as she listened to every word he said. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "That's what I want too." She gently set her suitcase on the floor and released the doorknob.  
  
Larry made his move. "Please turn around."  
  
She slowly turned until they were face to face.  
  
He held out the opened ring box. "Ally, I love you. Will you marry me?"  
  
She closed her eyes. It was exactly the way she dreamed it would be.  
  
"Yes, Larry. I'll marry you."  
  
With the biggest grin on his face, he slipped the ring onto her finger and then pulled her into his arms. "I love you so much. You won't regret this." He pulled back and kissed her.  
  
  
  
Larry added another log to the fireplace and resumed his place next to her on the carpet. "You keep staring at that ring."  
  
"I know," she said with a grin, "I can't believe it really happened. You asked me to marry you."  
  
"I should have done it months ago," he said partially in disgust.  
  
She laid her head on his shoulder. "Forget about that. You did propose and I accepted. That's the important part."  
  
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Let's talk about weddings for a minute. I know you'll probably want a big wedding so I'm thinking maybe May or June. That way Kelsey will be a few months old. What do you think?"  
  
"May or June is nice but I was thinking a little sooner."  
  
"How much sooner?"  
  
"Christmas Eve."  
  
He turned to her. "Christmas Eve? But that's only a few weeks away."  
  
She smiled at him. "I know when Christmas is, Larry."  
  
"But there is no way we can plan a wedding in that short of time."  
  
"We can if it's just the two of us."  
  
"You want to elope?"  
  
She moved until she was facing him. "Larry, do you remember last Christmas?"  
  
"Yes," he said with some uncertainty.  
  
"It was the first time you told me you loved me. Do you remember?"  
  
"Of course I remember. I remember everything about it."  
  
"That was probably one of the happiest days of my life."  
  
"Mine too."  
  
"It's been nearly a year since then and look what we have been through and put each other through. Between the breakup, you leaving, the pregnancy and everything that went with it, we survived it all. Our daughter will arrive in a few months and we're finally getting married. Can you understand why I feel an elopement is the best thing?"  
  
As Larry pondered this, Ally grabbed a pillow from behind her and laid her head in his lap. He placed one hand on her stomach and took her hand with the other.  
  
"If things had turned out differently, if that waiter hadn't made that fateful mistake, we'd be engaged and possibly even married by now. In that situation, a big wedding with all the trimmings would be appropriate. The fact is, Larry, I don't want all the hoopla, I just want you. Besides, I can't think of a better way to wake up on Christmas morning than as your wife. What do you say, Mr. Larry? You want to run off and get married?"  
  
A dozen arguments ran through his head as to why it would be better to wait but there was only one that held any ground and that was Sam. Could he do this to his son? He thought about all the times Sam encouraged him to call Ally and ask her for her forgiveness. He thought about the joy in Sam's face when he saw Ally in the apartment and realized she was pregnant. His son would understand. He glanced down at Ally. Everything he ever wanted was being handed to him on a silver platter. All he had to do was take it.  
  
"You got yourself a deal..and a husband."  
  
Ally smiled into the fire. 


	9. chapter 9

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 9  
  
"Thanks for coming over," Ally told Renee and John. It was Sunday night and she had been back in town for twenty-four hours.  
  
Renee tucked her feet underneath her. "I hope you start with why you took off without a word to me and where you went."  
  
"I think I know the answer to that one," remarked John as he sat at the opposite end of the couch.  
  
Ally wrapped herself in a blanket and curled up in her favorite chair. "And you would be right, John."  
  
He closed his eyes. "I was afraid of that."  
  
Renee looked from John to Ally and back again. "I don't get it."  
  
Ally cleared her throat. "Renee, I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Detroit....with Larry."  
  
"You did what?" she exclaimed as she jumped up. "You accepted an invitation from that louse?"  
  
"I wasn't invited. I just sort of landed on his door step."  
  
Renee shook her head. "You have definitely gone over the edge. I've seen you get closer and closer to it but now you have done it."  
  
"Renee, I'm not crazy. Larry and I had a lot to discuss and with the due date getting closer, we were running out of time."  
  
Renee turned to John. "You knew about this and did nothing to stop it?"  
  
He shrugged. "It's his baby too. He deserves to be a part of Kelsey's life."  
  
"What he deserves is a big fat kick in the."  
  
"Renee, stop it," Ally said. "Larry is the love of my life and the father of my child. I would appreciate you not trashing him like that."  
  
Renee turned to her best friend in horror. "How can you defend him after what he did to you?"  
  
Ally sighed and wished she were back in Detroit in front of that fire. "Renee, he did things to me, I did things to him. Neither of us is blameless. But what we found out this weekend is that we still love each other and we want to be a family. We are going to be a family."  
  
Renee's eyes narrowed. "What exactly does that mean?"  
  
"We're getting married in a few weeks."  
  
Both John and Renee were speechless.  
  
"Married?" asked Renee.  
  
Ally sat down between her two best friends and took their hands. "I love you both so much and I know you want what's best for me and that's Larry. I'm not blind to what happened before but there are some things you don't know." She proceeded to tell them about the dessert and the ring.  
  
John listened to the story and felt sorry for Larry. He knew what it was like to make the wrong decisions about love when you are trying to do the right thing. "Ally, how do you know he won't leave again?"  
  
"I don't, John, but in my heart I believe this is forever. We aren't the same people we were before. In a way, his leaving was a good thing because we each got a chance to look at what we had, what we missed and what we want for the future. We want to be together and raise Kelsey. For the first time, I know what I want. I have no doubts, no qualms, and no insecurities. I'm going to have the life I always wanted."  
  
Renee squeezed her hand. "Honey, are you sure about this? It's one thing to try and be a family but marriage is a whole other animal."  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. I've never been more positive in my life."  
  
Renee leaned over and kissed Ally on the cheek. "Then I wish you good luck."  
  
"Thanks." She looked over in the other direction. "John?"  
  
"If this is what you really, really want and you're sure it's what Larry wants, then I'm behind you all the way."  
  
She grinned. "I have the two best friends in the whole world. So you'll forgive me when I say that neither of you are invited to my wedding."  
  
"I beg your pardon?" asked Renee.  
  
"Larry and I have decided to forgo a big wedding in favor of a JP with just the two of us."  
  
Renee looked at her questionably. "I don't understand..."  
  
Ally explained her reasoning to both of her friends but although they said they understood she wasn't sure they did.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile in Detroit, Larry helped Sam load the dishwasher.  
  
"How about some hot chocolate with marshmallows?" asked Jamie as she finished putting the leftovers up.  
  
"That sounds great," exclaimed Sam. "How about it, Dad? You up for some hot chocolate?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Three hot chocolates coming up." As Jamie began to prepare them, Larry led Sam to the table.  
  
"I can't wait until tomorrow to tell all my friends that I'm getting a baby sister. When did you say she would be here?"  
  
"Not until February, son."  
  
"You miss, Ally, don't you?"  
  
"Very much."  
  
"Since you two are having a baby and all, does this mean you're moving back to Boston?"  
  
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jamie freeze. "Yes, I will be moving back to Boston. I'm not sure when. We have a lot to work out." Larry took a deep breath and continued. "That's sort of why I wanted to have dinner with you tonight. Ally and I made some decisions while she was here and you need to know about them."  
  
"Like what?" Sam asked as Jamie placed a cup of hot chocolate in front of him.  
  
He waited until Jamie finished serving the drinks before continuing. Knowing what he had to say next, he didn't want a cup of hot chocolate "accidentally" spilled in his lap. He saw Jamie cleaning up the stove but he knew she was listening as intently as she could.  
  
"Sam, Ally and I have decided to get married."  
  
"Really?" Excitement showed in his face. "That's great. Can I be your best man?"  
  
"Sammy, you will always be my best man but there isn't going to be a wedding."  
  
Sam frowned as he tried to compute. "I don't get it. You said you're getting married."  
  
"We are but you don't have to have a wedding to get married. Ally and I have decided to get married, just the two of us."  
  
Sam thought for a second. "Are you eloping?"  
  
"Yeah, we are. I don't want you to be upset."  
  
"I'm not upset."  
  
"Sam," he said covering his son's hand with his own, "I need you to be okay with this. You mean everything to me."  
  
Larry could see the hurt in his son's eyes. "But I will need a best man in the spring."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Because after Kelsey is born, the two of us are going to get married again and have a wedding reception. I will need my best man and Kelsey will need her big brother there to help."  
  
Sam's eyes lit up. "That would be great. Thanks, Dad."  
  
Larry returned to the kitchen after putting Sam into bed. He found Jamie at the kitchen table. "So, whose idea was it to elope and exclude Sam? I doubt it was yours. You would never be that cruel."  
  
"That's enough, Jamie. The elopement was Ally's idea and I am behind it 100%."  
  
"Why would you agree to that? You knew how upset it would make Sam."  
  
"Sam's a big boy. He'll be fine."  
  
"So, when's the big day?"  
  
"Christmas."  
  
"That's really soon. Why doesn't she wait until after the baby's born?"  
  
"We want to get married before that happens."  
  
"Since when have you been a stickler for tradition? I don't remember you pushing me to get married when I was pregnant with Sam."  
  
"I'm not going down that path with you again. The point is I'm getting married next month. I'm not naïve enough to expect you to be happy for us but for Sam's sake I hope you'll be civil."  
  
"But why so soon? Is she afraid you'll leave her again?"  
  
Larry grabbed his coat off the coat rack. "You just had to stick that in there somewhere, didn't you? For your information, I have no intention of leaving her ever again. This is the life I want with the woman I want. I'm sorry if you can't handle that." He grabbed his car keys and left. 


	10. chapter 10

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 10  
  
The next few weeks went by very quickly for both Larry and Ally. Larry had to secure the time off between Christmas and New Years which wasn't an easy feat considering the short notice. He celebrated Christmas a couple of days early with Sam and Jamie who's attitude remained chilly towards him. Sam seemed okay with being excluded from the wedding; he was more excited about becoming a big brother. Larry told his boss as soon as he returned from Thanksgiving and gave his notice effective February 1st. His boss was happy for him but disappointed about losing a valued employee. His friends were happy but wary for him. He assured them that this was the right decision. In spite of everything, he couldn't wait to marry Ally.  
  
Ally, on the other hand, was not having an easy time. Her parents, although in the mist of a divorce, banded together for a common goal, to try to convince her that marrying Larry was a mistake. Nothing Ally said or did could convince them she knew what she was doing. She gave up and let them think they were making progress with her. They seemed pleased by this and left promising to see her over Christmas. Of course by the time she did see them again, she would be Larry's wife and it would be a done deal. She hated lying to them but she felt they gave her no choice. At work, people congratulated her and then gossiped behind her back. All the while she was getting bigger every day. Between the pregnancy and planning for the wedding, she had no energy to strike back at those like Nelle and Ling who looked at her with pity for being desperate enough to marry Larry. In spite of everything, she couldn't wait to marry Larry.  
  
The doorbell rang and Ally waddled to the door.  
  
"Larry!"  
  
He grabbed and embraced her. "God, I've missed you."  
  
"I've missed you, too."  
  
He closed the door with his foot and then kissed her.  
  
"You're early. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."  
  
"But that's Christmas Eve and our wedding day. I think it's in bad form for the groom not to show until the wedding day." He intertwined his fingers with hers. "I know you had doubts that I wasn't going to come at all. I wanted to prove to you that trusting me again was not a mistake."  
  
"Larry, I never doubted that you wouldn't come. My instincts told me that you'd be here. They didn't tell me you'd be here a day early."  
  
He grinned. "I didn't want to wait another day to see you. These last four weeks have been painful."  
  
She cocked her head and looked at him. "Painful?" She glanced down at her bulging stomach and he followed suit.  
  
"Whoa. I didn't realized you had gotten so much bigger."  
  
She patted him on the cheek. "Thanks, Larry. I appreciate that. I'm not finished, you know. I have another seven weeks to go and the doctor insists I'm not done gaining yet."  
  
He wrapped his arms around her. "I don't care how big you get."  
  
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Spoken like a man in love."  
  
"No arguments from me. So, is there anything I can do for the big day?"  
  
"No, I think everything is done. The car has gas, I have directions and as long as you have a nice suit to wear I think we're in business."  
  
"So, it looks like we have everything ready to get married tomorrow."  
  
"So it does."  
  
  
  
A former client had once mentioned to Ally that she and her husband had gotten married in a quaint little chapel about two hours north of Boston. The Justice of the Peace and his wife ran the adjacent bed and breakfast. When Ally first called about getting married there on Christmas Eve, she was told that the chapel would be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It didn't take much persuasion on Ally's part to convince his wife to make an exception. She had a soft heart for second chance couples and they agreed to marry them.  
  
"Are you nervous?" Larry asked as he drove down the interstate.  
  
"Would you be upset if I said that I was terrified?"  
  
"Not in the slightest. If I let go of this steering wheel, you'd see how unsteady my hands are."  
  
"Good." She took a deep breath. "We have the video camera all ready to go in the trunk. Your suit and my dress in the backseat. Do you have the marriage license and the rings?"  
  
"In the glove compartment. I'm surprised you didn't show me your wedding dress."  
  
"Why would I show it to you? I'll admit we have broken almost every wedding tradition there is but I refuse to let you see me in my wedding dress before the ceremony."  
  
  
  
With the help of Mrs. Wesley, Ally slipped into her wedding dress.  
  
"Oh," she gasped, "you look beautiful."  
  
Ally turned and stared at the woman in the refection. Was this really her? The dress she selected at the maternity boutique disguised her pregnancy so it wasn't so obvious.  
  
"The dress is so flattering you would never know you were expecting so soon, Miss McBeal."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Mrs. Wesley glanced at her watch. "It's time. Are you ready?"  
  
Ally gave her hair, which was piled on her head with flowered combs, one last pat. A piece of her last meeting with Dr. Wyatt ran through her head.  
  
"Dr. Wyatt, how will I know if I've made the right decision?"  
  
"Because in your heart, there will be no room for doubt."  
  
Ally stared at her reflection one last time. "No room for doubt."  
  
"What was that?" asked Mrs. Wesley.  
  
Ally smiled at the kind woman. "I'm ready."  
  
  
  
Larry paced in front of the fireplace in the parlor. The butterflies he had earlier had turned into frogs and were quickly becoming rabbits. Where was she? He stopped suddenly. Had she changed her mind? He shook the thought away. No way. She was getting ready.  
  
"Larry."  
  
He turned at the sound of his name and stared at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  
  
"Wow. You look amazing." He walked over and lightly kissed her on the lips.  
  
"You don't look so bad either," she said with a shy smile. "Ready to get married?"  
  
"I've been ready a long time."  
  
  
  
With the video camera recording, the justice of the peace began the ceremony. While holding hands, their eyes never wavered.  
  
"Do you take Ally to be your wife?"  
  
"I do," replied Larry.  
  
"Do you take Larry to be your husband?"  
  
"I do," replied Ally.  
  
"Then I pronounce you husband and wife."  
  
While Larry kissed his bride, Mrs. Wesley whispered in her husband's ear. "They remind me of us, Harry. How many times did fate throw us together before we took the hint?"  
  
"Several." Harry placed an arm around his wife as they watched the newlyweds kiss.  
  
At last, Larry pulled back and grinned. "Did we really just get married?"  
  
"Yes, and I have the ring to prove it." She held out her hand and watched as the gold band glittered in the light.  
  
Larry glanced down at his hand and stared at his ring for a moment. It felt weird and yet right. He looked at his wife's beaming face. "I love you."  
  
She kissed his cheek. "I love you, too. What do you say we get out of here?"  
  
"My thoughts exactly."  
  
While Larry settled up with Mr. Wesley and his wife, Ally packed up the video camera.  
  
"Good luck, Ally."  
  
Ally turned and saw Mrs. Wesley standing beside her. "Thank you for everything, Mrs. Wesley. I know you probably wondered why we chose to get married like this."  
  
"Not at all. I've been where you are." She glanced down at Ally's stomach. "Well, not exactly where you are. Can I share a story with you?"  
  
"Please do."  
  
Mrs. Wesley looked over at her husband, who was in deep conversation with Larry. "Harry and I were high school sweethearts. We planned to get married after graduation but the war came and Harry got drafted. We decided to wait until after he returned. During those years I fell in love with a local boy and we got married. I had just delivered my first child when Harry returned for me. It broke my heart to break his heart. I realized soon after my third child was born that I had made a mistake in marrying Ian. Ian was a good man and a good father but I could never feel the way about him that I did for Harry. Ian and I quietly divorced and I went to find Harry. But I was too late. Harry had met someone. They had married and had started a family."  
  
Ally touched her arm. "Oh no. What did you do?"  
  
"What could I do? I did nothing. Harry had no idea I had been looking for him so I let him be. I moved with my three children back to Virginia where my parents lived. My dad was a pediatrician and I became his assistant while my mother stayed home and watched my kids and ran the farm. Then one day, this man came in with his hurt little girl. She had been horseback riding at a nearby farm when she fell off and broke her leg. The moment I saw the man, time stopped."  
  
Ally was loving the story. "It was Harry?"  
  
"The one and only. The look of surprise and love that I saw in his eyes was something I'll never forget. After my dad treated his daughter's leg, we all went back to the farm and Harry and I started talking. His wife had decided after she didn't want to be a wife and mother to his three kids anymore so she moved on with her life. A week later Harry asked me to marry him and three days later we were married in the county clerk's office, just the two of us."  
  
"Three days?" asked Ally, incredulously.  
  
"Fate had thrown us together several times and we ignored her. I wasn't going to take that chance again. So, Ally, I do understand why you did what you did. And I hope you and Larry are as happy as Harry and I have been for the last twenty five years."  
  
Ally hugged the woman she had only known a couple of hours. "Thank you for that story. So you and your three children lived happily ever after with Harry and his three children?"  
  
"Not quite. You forgot about the two we had together." Mrs. Wesley picked up a framed photo from the table and handed it to her.  
  
"Eight kids?" asked Ally.  
  
Mrs. Wesley laughed. "Eight wonderful kids and ten grandkids. It's a better life than I could have ever dreamed of."  
  
Larry appeared at that moment and slipped his arm around Ally's waist. "Ready?"  
  
She nodded and hugged Mrs. Wesley once more. "You inspire me."  
  
Mrs. Wesley nodded. "Now, go home, you two and enjoy your new life."  
  
Within minutes, the Wesley's were alone in the house.  
  
"Thank you, Harry."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For being everything I ever dreamed of."  
  
  
  
Larry carefully joined the traffic on the interstate. He glanced over at Ally and noticed her eyes were closed.  
  
"Sleepy?"  
  
Her eyes opened. "No, just thinking about how happy I am. Are you as happy?"  
  
He squeezed her hand. "If I was any happier, I would float. You and Mrs. Wesley seemed awfully chummy."  
  
"She's a great lady with an amazing life." She told him the story she had shared. "I want to be like her one day."  
  
Larry raised an eyebrow. "The mother of eight and the grandmother of ten?"  
  
"No," she chuckled, "to know the man I married is the man I was destined to be with even after twenty-five years."  
  
He took her hand and kissed it. "I think you will."  
  
  
  
He handed her a cup of hot chocolate and climbed back into the bed. She took a sip and set it on the nightstand.  
  
"Do you remember the first time we watched this movie?"  
  
Larry played with the ends of her hair. "Not really."  
  
Ally looked over at him. "It was a year ago in this apartment. It was the first time you mentioned you had a son."  
  
Larry thought back to the night. "I remember. Seems so long ago."  
  
"Another lifetime. At that time you were ashamed of your lacking relationship with your son. Here we are, a year later, married with a child of our own on the way."  
  
"And my relationship with Sam is better than I could have hoped for. It's been quite a year."  
  
"I'll say," said Ally as she stared at her wedding ring. "We've gone from falling in love, to living together to breaking-up to unplanned pregnancy to estrangement to making-up to engagement to marriage all in a year."  
  
He pulled her closer. "And we survived it all, Mrs. Paul."  
  
"Mrs. Paul. It has a nice ring to it. Being your wife is going to be challenge, isn't it?"  
  
Larry frowned. "I don't know if the 'challenge' is the right word."  
  
Ally sat up. "What other word is there? You return to Detroit on January 1st, a mere seven days after we get married, where you will spend the next month tying up loose ends and getting ready to move. You are scheduled to return to Boston at the end of January and Kelsey is due two weeks later. We will have to break the news to everyone that our marriage is a fait acompli and wait for the fall out from your side and my side. Who do you think will hit the roof harder, my parents or Jamie?"  
  
Larry chuckled and turned off the TV. "Since Jamie already knows about our plans, I vote for your parents."  
  
"Not necessarily. I bet Jamie is counting on the fact that you'll do another repeat performance and she'll be there to comfort you."  
  
"Ally," he said as he nibbled on her neck. "I don't want to talk about Jamie or your parents or anything at all. It's our wedding night and I have other plans in mind."  
  
"Oh?" she asked. "Do tell."  
  
"Turn off the light and I'll show you." 


	11. chapter 11

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 11  
  
George and Jeannie McBeal were due to arrive Christmas afternoon to visit with their daughter before separately heading back home to be with their respective significant others.  
  
"You shouldn't be this nervous, honey. They are still your parents," Larry commented as he tied her shoe.  
  
"I can't help it. This is going to hurt my dad. He always wanted to walk me down the aisle when I got married."  
  
Larry set that foot down and picked up the other. "And he will get to when we have our wedding in April."  
  
"I hope he sees it that way."  
  
Larry was about to add something when the doorbell rang.  
  
"I'll get it," she said and opened the door to her parents.  
  
"Mom, Dad, Merry Christmas."  
  
Each of her parents wished her a Merry Christmas as they hugged their daughter.  
  
"Come in."  
  
They stepped inside and stopped when they saw Larry.  
  
"Merry Christmas, George...Jeannie."  
  
"Merry Christmas, Larry. I didn't realize you would be here." Jeannie looked to her soon-to-be-ex husband. He shrugged in response.  
  
"Mom, Dad, come and sit down. Can I get you something to drink?"  
  
"Coffee would be good." George chose a seat closest to the door.  
  
"Make that two," added Jeannie who sat on the sofa.  
  
The tension in the room was thick.  
  
"I'll get the coffee," volunteered Larry. He knew Ally wanted a few minutes alone to pave the way for what was coming.  
  
George waited until Larry was out of earshot. "I thought he was out of your life."  
  
"Dad," she said rubbing her stomach, "that's not possible. Besides, I don't want him out of my life. I love him and together we're going to raise our baby."  
  
"What makes you think he's going to stick around? Mark my words, Allison, he'll leave you again and all you'll be left with is this baby and a broken heart from a man who didn't love you enough to marry you."  
  
"That's not true, George," Larry said as he entered the room with two cups of coffee. "After what I did, I know you have no reason to believe me but contrary to what has happened in the past, I love your daughter. She is my life and my future. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her."  
  
George's eyes narrowed. "You claim to love my daughter? My daughter is seven and a half months pregnant by you and not married. If you loved her, if you really loved her, she wouldn't be in this mess right now."  
  
"You're wrong, Dad."  
  
George tore his eyes from Larry to his daughter. "In what way? That you wouldn't be in this mess?"  
  
She locked eyes with him. "No, that I'm not married." She held up her left hand. "Larry and I were married last night."  
  
"Oh God." Jeannie's hand covered her mouth.  
  
"I see," responded George evenly. "You eloped last night?"  
  
"Yes, George, we did." Larry sat beside his wife and held her hand. "It was what we both wanted."  
  
George turned to Ally. "You wanted to get married without your mother and I there?"  
  
"Dad, I just wanted to marry Larry without any fuss or complications."  
  
"Fuss or complications?" Jeannie stood up. "Do you think that's all a wedding is? You are my only daughter and you took away my chance to help plan your wedding. Not only that, but you didn't even invite us to your elopement. I had no idea you could be so cold, Allison." She grabbed her coat.  
  
"Mom, wait. Let's talk about this.  
  
George grabbed his coat. "I think you've said enough." He closed the door behind him.  
  
Ally began to cry beneath the twinkling lights. Helpless, Larry held her close.  
  
  
  
The newlyweds spent the next several days locked in the apartment. They didn't venture out very often and mostly had everything delivered. Aside from what happened with George and Jeannie, it was a perfect honeymoon.  
  
"You know, the next four weeks are going to go by so fast that you won't have time to realize I'm not here."  
  
Ally raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Okay, that's a stretch. But you have the baby shower Renee and Elaine are hosting soon. That should be fun."  
  
She raised another eyebrow.  
  
"Okay, so Renee and Elaine trying to host anything together is a recipe for disaster but they're doing it for you."  
  
Ally sighed. "I know and I appreciate their thoughtfulness but the closer this baby gets, the more nervous I get and I wish you weren't going to be so far away."  
  
Larry turned on his side and faced her. It was the only position she found remotely comfortable. "You have no idea how much I dread leaving you. Anything could happen while I'm gone."  
  
Ally touched his cheek. "The doctor told us yesterday that there is no reason for the baby to come early. My maternity leave begins February 1st and I should stay home and take it easy."  
  
Larry grinned. "Seeing that ultrasound was something else. I can't believe I was looking at a picture of my unborn baby. I'm sorry that there wasn't one done with Sam."  
  
"What time is your flight tomorrow?"  
  
"Three o'clock." He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "You know, it's not too late if you want to put in an appearance at the New Year's Eve party at Cage and Fish."  
  
Ally thought for a minute. "Would I have to leave this bed?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Then forget it. I'm not going anywhere." She leaned over and kissed him.  
  
  
  
When Ally woke the next morning, the clock said it was nearly ten. Their own New Year's celebration lasted well past midnight. She rolled out of bed in search of her missing husband. She didn't find him but did find a note on the table.  
  
'Honey, When I called to confirm my reservation they told me that my flight had just been cancelled due to bad weather. The only flight leaving for Detroit leaves at eleven. I couldn't bring my self to wake you to say goodbye so I decided to do the next best thing. Go look out the window. I'll call you when I get in tonight. Try to be a good mother-to-be and take it easy. I love you. Larry.'  
  
Whether it was the hormones or the fact that she woke up on New Years Day alone to a note, Ally wanted to cry. She moved slowly to the window and peeked out. At that point she did cry. Sitting in front of the apartment were three snowmen; each one smaller than the next. They represented the daddy, the mommy and the child. Ally could not think of a better goodbye gift. She went to get her camera.  
  
  
  
"Here, open my next." Elaine shoved a wrapped gift into Ally's lap.  
  
"No, open mine." Renee also shoved her gift into Ally's lap.  
  
Elaine and Renee's big baby shower was a big bust. Aside from Elaine and Renee, Georgia, Ling and Nelle were the only ones present. And Ling and Nelle were there because they lost a bet with Richard. Ally glanced at the empty chair in the conference room that was decorated with streamers and a big "Proud Grandma" balloon. Her mother had declined the invitation to the shower. It had been three weeks since Christmas morning and there had been no contact on either side. Although her mother had never been her best friend, she suddenly longed for maternal comfort.  
  
After the shower and everyone had gone, Ally stood alone in her office looking out the window. Her hands were tucked under her belly.  
  
"Did you know you're glowing?"  
  
Ally glanced to the left and saw Jeannie standing in the door.  
  
"I don't feel like glowing. I'm depressed and lonely and my own mother refused to come to my baby shower."  
  
Jeannie walked up behind her daughter. "I'm sorry about today. I'm sorry about a lot of things."  
  
Ally turned and faced her. "Why can't you be more like other mothers? Why can't I have a mother who is occasionally proud of me and who doesn't see everything I do as a mistake?"  
  
Jeannie touched her arm. "I am proud of you, Ally. Very proud of you."  
  
"You'd never know it from my end."  
  
Jeannie sat down on the corner of the desk. "I know I made a lot of mistakes with you, mistakes I wish I could go back and undo. My only excuse is that I never had an example to learn from. My mother left when I was a baby and my dad never remarried. My mothering skills were rocky at best. I vowed when I married your father that I would be the best mother I could. I tried but I never was any good at it."  
  
Ally saw the pain her mother's face. "That's not true. You weren't a bad mother, just distant."  
  
"I don't want to be a distant mother anymore, Ally. I want to be a real mother to you and a real grandmother to your baby."  
  
"And Larry?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
Jeannie took a deep breath. "He's your husband and the father of your baby. I want to get to know and accept my son-in-law."  
  
Ally smiled. She felt better than she had in weeks. "Thank you, Mom. What about Dad?"  
  
"He'll come around. He's hurting right now but he can't stay upset with you for long. Give him time to accept things. He really wanted to give his daughter away at her wedding."  
  
"He still can." Ally explained their plans to her mother. "I realize it's not the same thing as before." "It sounds perfect," commented Jeannie. "I know just the perfect place, too. And by April, the weather will be warmer and..."  
  
Without warning, Ally embraced her mother. "I'm glad you're here, Mom. I need you."  
  
Jeannie blinked back the tears. "You have no idea what that means to me."  
  
Ally pulled back and stared out the window. "They are predicting snow again."  
  
Jeannie laughed. "They have been predicting it every day since New Years and it hasn't happened."  
  
"I think it will tonight so I think you should stay with me tonight and discuss your granddaughter."  
  
Jeannie hugged Ally. "That sounds like the best idea in the world."  
  
  
  
It snowed that night and continued for the next two days. For the first time she could remember, Ally and her mother shared quality time together. They discussed the baby and made plans for the April re-wedding. Jeannie took her coat out of the closet and slipped it on. She stared at her daughter. "I want you to be happy, honey. I want you to have the life you always wanted."  
  
Ally handed her the scarf and her bag. "I have it, Mom. I'm married to my soul mate, I'm going to be a mother soon and I have a career I love. I don't think I deserve to be this happy."  
  
"Yes you do," her mother said sternly. "You deserve all the happiness life has to offer you. And I'm going to bring your father around."  
  
"Mom, the two of you are getting a divorce. You don't have that kind of influence over him anymore."  
  
"You want to bet? We've been married for thirty-eight years. That kind of bond never disappears. You'll see that one day."  
  
Ally smiled at the thought of being married for that long. "I hope so. But I first have to get my husband living in the same city as me. We've been married three weeks and have only spent one week together."  
  
"So, when does my son-in-law arrive?"  
  
Ally liked the way that sounded. It was almost as good as husband and father. "He's driving up next weekend. Friday was his last day at work and he's spending this week packing up his apartment and making arrangements.  
  
"You must be excited."  
  
"I am," she said. "I've been so lonely without him. It's hard being a newlywed and going to bed alone every night."  
  
Jeannie patted her shoulder. "I'm sure he feels the same way."  
  
"He says he does. Hearing his voice before I go to sleep is comforting."  
  
Jeannie hugged her daughter. "He'll be home before you know it. Now, I need to get back. I'll go see your father tomorrow and maybe by next weekend you'll have two visitors."  
  
"That would be nice."  
  
  
  
"What time is Larry due to arrive tomorrow?" Renee asked Ally as they played scrabble in the apartment.  
  
"Please don't do that."  
  
"Do what?" asked Renee. "I just asked a simple question."  
  
"A simple question in your disapproving tone." She pushed the board away. "Renee, I need your support. Larry may be my husband but you are my best friend. I need to be able to count on you all the way, not wondering if you are going to unleash that Raddick verbal bashing I know so well. For my sake and the sake of your goddaughter, can you be civil to Larry? I'm not asking you to embrace him as your long lost friend when you see him but don't slam the door in his face either."  
  
"Fine, you win. I will treat Larry with more respect than he deserves. Tell me this, do you believe you would have married him if there was no baby?"  
  
Ally was quiet for a minute. "That's something I have thought about a great deal and I honestly believe we would have found our way back together eventually. The pregnancy just speeded things along."  
  
Renee glanced at her watch. "I need to go. Trevor is picking me up tonight and I need to get ready."  
  
Ally struggled but eventually got to her feet. "I appreciate you coming back after work with dinner and your company. I promised Larry that once I started my maternity leave, I wouldn't drive anymore."  
  
"Did Richard and John throw you a goodbye party?"  
  
"Elaine wanted to have something at the bar but a bar is the last place a pregnant woman should be when she's two weeks from delivery. I think she had something anyway. Any chance for Elaine to sing."  
  
Renee grinned. "Good old Elaine. Some things never change."  
  
Ally walked her down the steps.  
  
"Are you sure you should be out here? That recent snow fall left some icy patches."  
  
"I'll be fine." She watched as Renee got in her car and turned around. Unfortunately, one of the nasty icy patches caught her foot and Ally grabbed air as she fell.  
  
Within seconds Renee was at her side.  
  
"Ally, honey, are you okay?"  
  
Ally opened her eyes. "Hurt. Help."  
  
Renee's hand shook as she dialed 911. Afterwards, she held Ally's hand as they waited for the ambulance. It arrived within minutes but it seemed like hours. No one needed to tell Renee that the blood coming from Ally was serious.  
  
"Renee?" said Ally, as she was loaded into the ambulance. "Call Larry. His cell number is number two on my speed dial. Tell him to come home."  
  
Renee watched as the ambulance pulled out. She immediately began to dial. She didn't even let John get out the word hello when she rushed him. "John, its Renee. Ally's fallen on the ice. The ambulance just took her to Memorial Hospital. I need you to get there and stay with her. I have to call her parents and Larry. I'll meet you there."  
  
"I'm on my way." 


	12. chapter 12

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 12  
  
In Detroit, Larry was putting his son to bed when his cell phone rang. Jamie, who was wiping off the table, reached into his coat pocket and pulled it out. She glanced at the name on the caller-ID and dropped it back in the pocket.  
  
"Forget it, Ally. You and your child may get him from now on but you are not going to interrupt my son's last night with his father. Whatever you have to say to him can wait."  
  
The phone rang again a few minutes later and again it was Ally. She once more dropped it back in the pocket.  
  
A little while later Larry returned to the kitchen.  
  
"Is he asleep?" she asked.  
  
"Just about."  
  
"How about some coffee before you head home? You have a long day tomorrow."  
  
"Tell me about it. It's going to be a long drive to Boston. I'd love some coffee."  
  
She nodded and went to the coffee maker. "Your cell phone rang while you were with Sam. The caller-ID said it was Ally."  
  
He pushed the buttons and began listening to his messages. "Larry, its Renee. Call me as soon as you get this. It's about Ally." The message ended and the next one began. "Dammit, Larry. Ally said you always have this phone on and with you. Listen carefully. There's been an accident. Ally fell on the ice and has been rushed to Memorial. She's bleeding Larry and I don't mean just from her head. It's bad. John's at the hospital now and I'll be there in a few minutes. Her parents are on their way. Hurry, dammit."  
  
Larry felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He felt sick. Jamie noticed his change in color and became worried.  
  
"Larry, what is it?"  
  
"Ally," he said, barely able to get the words out. "She fell on the ice. She's in the hospital. I have to get to her."  
  
Jamie touched his arm. "Let me help you."  
  
"No," he said as he jerked his arm back. "You've helped enough."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"You knew that with the due date so close that it was imperative that I be available twenty-four hours a day. You saw who it was on the phone. Why didn't you answer it or come and get me?"  
  
Guilt seeped into Jamie's body. "I didn't know," she whispered. "I thought she just wanted to talk and I didn't want her spoiling Sam's time with you. I'm so sorry."  
  
Larry grabbed his coat. "I swear Jamie, if your stunt cost me anything, I'll never forgive you." He ran out the door.  
  
Jamie touched the window. "I'm sorry, Larry."  
  
Larry started his car and made a call to his secretary. "Becky, its Larry. I'm sorry to call you at home and I know technically you're no longer my secretary but I need your help."  
  
"Sure, Larry. What is it?"  
  
"Ally's had an accident and is in the hospital. I need you to call the airlines and get me the next flight to Boston and a rental car when I get there. Put the charges on my Visa. Afterwards call me on my cell phone and give me the information."  
  
"Got it. What else?"  
  
"Then I need you to call Renee Raddick and give her the information." He recited Renee's number from his address book. "Thanks Becky, I owe you."  
  
"I'll take care of everything. I hope she's okay. Can you call me with an update?"  
  
"I will. You're the best, Becky. I hope your new boss knows how lucky he is."  
  
  
  
Larry arrived at the airport in record time and found his ticket ready. Bless that Becky, he thought as he hurried to make his flight. He buckled his seatbelt and took a deep breath. He watched the night sky as the plane took off.  
  
  
  
Larry parked his car in the ER parking lot and ran inside. He checked with a nurse and got Ally's location and hurried through the hospital. He paused when he saw Renee and John sleeping on the couches in the waiting room. Rather than wake and pump them for information, he decided to go to the source. And he found the source talking to George and Jeannie.  
  
"Larry, thank goodness you're here." Jeannie squeezed his hand, a gesture noted by him. Jeannie turned back to the doctor. "Dr. Sweeney, this is our son-in-law Larry Paul."  
  
Dr. Sweeney extended his hand to Larry who accepted it.  
  
"Ally? Where is she? How is she? What about the baby?" Larry's questions came out in a panic.  
  
Dr. Sweeney walked Larry to a quiet section of the waiting room and signaled for him to take a seat. "Mr. Paul, when your wife fell tonight, she was unconscience when she arrived at the hospital." Dr. Sweeney went on to explain things in medical terminology that went right over Larry's head.  
  
"Dr. Sweeney, in simple English terms, how are my wife and baby?"  
  
"Mr. Paul, we had to deliver your daughter by c-section after which your wife slipped into a coma."  
  
Larry's face went stark white. "Coma? She's in a coma?"  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid she is."  
  
Larry closed his eyes and ordered him self to take deep breaths. "Is she...". He couldn't bring himself to ask the question. "Will she come out of it?"  
  
"We hope so. The medical profession has made many advances over the years but we still don't know what makes some people come out of comas and others not."  
  
A movement caught Larry's attention and he saw a nurse coming towards him.  
  
"Mr. Paul, I thought you might want to meet your daughter." The nurse handed Larry the newborn and stepped to the side.  
  
Dr. Sweeney stood up and placed his hand on Larry's shoulder. "I'm going to give you a few minutes with your daughter and then we'll resume our conversation."  
  
Larry barely heard him as his baby girl held his attention.  
  
"You are so beautiful," Larry said. "Wait until Ally sees you." Larry realized what he had said and a gasp of pain escaped his mouth. This could not be happening, he thought to himself. Life could not be so cruel as to give me a daughter and take her mother away at the same time. He stared at the baby until the pain became too much and the tears began to flow.  
  
"She's beautiful," Renee said as she sat next to him on the couch.  
  
Larry nodded as he turned away. He didn't want anyone seeing him cry.  
  
She gently took the baby from him and handed him a packet of tissue. "I've already been through three of those and John has gone through two."  
  
Larry nodded and grabbed the tissue. He walked to the window and looked out.  
  
Renee handed the baby to the nurse when she returned and joined Larry at the window.  
  
"If you think for a second that Ally won't pull out of this, then you don't know her at all."  
  
His gazed remained fixed on the street below. "How do you know that? Lots of people don't come out of comas."  
  
"But none of those people is your wife and my best friend. She has everything to live for. She has you and she has her daughter. She has the life she always dreamed of and wished for. She is not, I repeat, not going to let it slip through her fingers."  
  
"I wish I could believe that."  
  
"If you can't believe that, then believe in magic. Ally did. She also believed in hope and true love and destiny. She married you on Christmas Eve. Believe in the magic of that. What I'm trying to say, Larry, is for the first time in your life you need to believe in the good in something instead of looking for the bad."  
  
He turned away from the window and looked at Renee. "Believe in the good?"  
  
Renee nodded. "Ally believed that marrying you was the best thing she ever did. She was convinced that you were not the same man who left her all those months ago. I wasn't so sure but seeing the love and pain in your eyes tonight, I'm beginning to think she was right. Don't disappoint her by giving up hope." She glanced at her watch. "I'm going home. Will you call me if there is any change?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Are you staying here tonight?"  
  
"I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Renee smiled. "I didn't think so. Good night."  
  
He watched as Renee disappeared down the hall. Did he have enough strength to keep his hope alive? He walked down the hall and found Jeannie and George sitting in a small waiting room outside the ICU. He sat next to Jeannie.  
  
"Any news?"  
  
"No," she said sadly.  
  
George stared at his son-in-law for a long minute. He noticed that Larry looked as bad as he felt. He could see the fear and pain in the younger man's face. George realized how much Larry loved his daughter. "Did you get to see the baby?"  
  
"Yes, the nurse brought her to me. She's perfect."  
  
If there was any doubt left in George's mind, hearing the pain in his son- in-laws voice chased it away.  
  
"I want to see her."  
  
Jeannie and George nodded. They understood. The ICU was very strict when it came to visitors. Only one visitor at a time for five minutes every hour. They had each only had two visits and were anxious for another.  
  
At that moment the ICU nurse entered the waiting area. "I can take one of you now."  
  
Jeannie and George looked at each other and then at Larry.  
  
Jeannie squeezed his hand. "Go on. She needs to know you're here."  
  
"Thank you," he whispered.  
  
"Please take our son-in-law to see his wife," George said to the nurse. She nodded and led Larry through a corridor.  
  
Larry found Ally as one of six patients in the ICU. He wanted some privacy but did notice that the nurses and doctors were occupied with the other patients. He sat down in the chair beside her bed. He touched her cheek. She's not in a coma, he thought to himself. She's just sleeping. But the machinery she was connected to told a different story. He took her hand and kissed her fingers one by one.  
  
"Come on, honey, open your eyes." He waited a few seconds certain that she would hear him and come to. But nothing happened. "Ally, it's me Larry. I'm here with you. I need you to open your eyes. I want you to see our daughter. She's so beautiful." He watched closely but still no response.  
  
"Mr. Paul? Your five minutes are up. I need you to return to the waiting area."  
  
Larry looked over at the nurse standing at the foot of the bed. "I'm not finished yet."  
  
"Mr. Paul, please respect our rules. You can come back in an hour."  
  
Larry considered railing at the young nurse but decided against it. The idea of Ally coming to and finding out that he had been banned from her because of his behavior was more than he could bear. Larry nodded to the nurse and then kissed Ally gently on her lips. "I love you," he whispered. 


	13. chapter 13

A Womb With A View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Jeannie and George were anxiously waiting for news from him when he returned to the waiting area. He simply shook his head and their faces fell. He walked down the corridor and found the door leading to one of the exits. He stood in the cold and let the chilly air slap him in the face.  
  
"Put this on before you get sick and I have two kids in the hospital."  
  
Larry turned and was surprised to see Jeannie holding his coat. He took it from her and put it on.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Jeannie cleared her throat. "I know that I wasn't very nice to you at Christmas. Fact is I was behaving like a horse's ass."  
  
"No, you weren't. You were behaving like a mother whose heart had been broken. You were angry and you had every right to be. But we didn't elope to hurt anyone, Jeannie. We did what we needed to do."  
  
She laid her hand on his arm. "I know that, son. I didn't at the time. Like you said I was hurt and angry. I was also scared. You hurt my daughter badly when you left her. I never thought she would get over that. Then she says she's pregnant and wants to try again with you. From a parent's standpoint, that was a terrifying thought. Any parent wants to protect their children from pain and unhappiness but when you can see them doing something that will for certain bring that to them, you want to stop them any way you can. You'll learn that one day with Sam and Kelsey."  
  
Larry said nothing. The idea of his daughter getting involved with someone like him was a sobering thought. "I can't undo what's been done, Jeannie, but I can promise that I will be there for my family."  
  
She kissed his cheek. "That's all anyone can ask for."  
  
  
  
The three of them took turns for the rest of the night. At day break George and Jeannie convinced him to go home, clean up and take a nap. He stumbled into the apartment and looked around. He hadn't been there since New Years. The spare bedroom that had once been an office after Renee moved out was now a nursery. The room was perfect and it took his breath away. On the table next to the rocking chair was an envelope that simply read "Dad." Larry opened it and found a letter. "Dear Larry, Today we start a new chapter in our life; being a family. Your daughter and I are very lucky to have you. Love, Ally." Larry's knees buckled and he sank in to the rocking chair.  
  
  
  
Larry didn't know how long he slept but when he opened his eyes he was lying across the bed fully clothed. He reached for his glasses and focused on the clock. He had been asleep for nearly four hours. He called the hospital for an update, there wasn't any news, and then stumbled into the shower. Within the hour he was back at the hospital.  
  
He found George in the same spot he had left him a few hours before.  
  
"Where's Jeannie?"  
  
"I sent her back to the hotel for a while. She's exhausted. We both are."  
  
Larry nodded. "Why don't you join her? I'll stay here and let you know if anything changes."  
  
"I'm not leaving this hospital until I know my daughter is okay."  
  
"I understand, George, but the fact is you look like you are about to pass out and Ally would be very upset if anything happened to you. A few hours of sleep would do a great deal of good."  
  
George waged a small battle in his head. The truth was he was so tired he couldn't focus on anything for more than a couple of seconds. And that is not good when you're waiting on news from a doctor.  
  
"Okay, I give in. I'll join Jeannie at the hotel but you'll call me if there is any news?"  
  
Larry offered him his hand. "I promise."  
  
George studied the young man for a second and accepted. "There may be hope for you yet."  
  
Larry grinned. "I'm counting on it."  
  
  
  
Larry took the next visit and the one after it and each time came away dejected. He knew the next visit would be his last for a while because George had left word with the nurse that they were on their way back along with Renee and John. Larry quickly took his all-to-familiar seat next to the bed and once again took her hand.  
  
"Okay, honey, I need you to wake up," he whispered, "I have just spent time with our little girl and she wants to meet her mother and I know you want to meet her. So I need you to open your eyes and look at me the way you always have."  
  
He watched and waited but nothing happened. She had always been moved when he sang to her. He knew that singing out loud would probably be frowned on in ICU but he could sing to her in his head. He knew she had a mind/body connection he never fully understood. What did he have to lose? He closed his eyes and pictured the night he wrote her a song after a terrible fight. "Chances are you'll find me somewhere on your road tonight....Seems I always end up driving by..."  
  
"You're singing my song."  
  
Larry's eyes flew open and he looked down at his wife. "Ally?" he whispered. Her eyes were still closed.  
  
"Why did you stop singing?"  
  
Larry was completely flabbergasted and said the first thing that came to his mind. "How did you know I was singing?"  
  
"Silly question. I could hear you."  
  
He watched as her eyes began to flutter open. She smiled when she saw him. "Larry."  
  
Larry's heart was beating a mile a minute. He knew he needed to get someone's attention but he couldn't move. Luckily the nurse noticed a change in her readings and came right over.  
  
"We need you to leave, Mr. Paul."  
  
"But...but my wife."  
  
"I'll let you know."  
  
While the nurse and the doctor tended to Ally, another nurse escorted out Larry.  
  
"We'll let you know something in a few minutes."  
  
Larry nodded and grabbed the wall for support.  
  
Jeannie and George saw the expression on his face and came running up.  
  
"Did something happen?" she asked.  
  
He nodded. "She woke up."  
  
"Really?" asked an excited Jeannie. "She's awake? That's wonderful." She hugged George and then hugged Larry. "How did it happen?"  
  
He opened his mouth to explain but couldn't. He was saved by the presence of the doctor. George and Jeannie ascended on him immediately. Larry found the first chair and collapsed. What happened in there? How could he explain it to Ally's parents if he couldn't explain it to himself?  
  
"You must be relieved."  
  
Larry looked over and saw that John had taken the seat next to him.  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
John tilted his head and studied Larry's face. "You don't look like a man whose wife has just come out of a coma. You look like a man who has seen a ghost."  
  
"What if I said you were very close?"  
  
John nodded. "Tell me."  
  
Larry explained what happened to an understanding John.  
  
"Larry, you have just tapped into a special part of Ally. You knew there was something different about her when you met her."  
  
"I just never really thought about what it meant."  
  
"Don't start analyzing it. She can't read your mind if that's what you think. She just connected to what was in your heart. Even in a coma you two are connected mind, body and soul. And this proves it." He stood up. "I'm going to see if I can get in to see the patient. Oh, by the way, congratulations on the baby. She's beautiful."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
  
  
Larry knocked on the door and then opened it. He stood in the door, watching Ally hold their daughter.  
  
"Don't just stand there, come inside and give your wife a kiss."  
  
Larry let the door close behind him and was at her bedside immediately. He lifted her chin and gently placed a kiss on her lips.  
  
"I know you can do better than that."  
  
Larry chuckled. "Not in front of our daughter." He touched her cheek. "She's gorgeous." He looked over at Ally. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when this happened."  
  
She could see in his face how much he meant it. "Honey, you were there for me. I asked Renee to call you because I needed you and I trusted that the two of you wouldn't let me down." She smiled at him. "And you didn't."  
  
"But if I had been here."  
  
"Then you would have done the exact same thing you did do. Larry, honey, nothing would have changed."  
  
"But you would have known that I was here and that I loved you."  
  
She touched his cheek with her free hand. "I know you love me. I knew it before and I know it now. And as for the other, I knew you were here, if not physically, then emotionally. We are connected, Larry."  
  
Emotions flooded Larry's body. It was at that moment he understood what John was telling him before. This was the life he was meant to have.  
  
He pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you, Ally."  
  
"I love you, too." 


	14. chapter 14

A Womb With a View by Kakie  
  
Chapter 14 Conclusion  
  
Three months later  
  
Larry tightened his hold on Ally as they moved through the song. He ran his hand down the veil that covered her hair. As the band continued to play, Larry looked around the room. He saw Jamie chatting quietly with Mark, his best man. Larry had long since forgiven Jamie for her error in judgement. It wasn't done maliciously and Ally and Kelsey had pulled through. Jamie had been heart-felt and sincere in her apologies to him, Ally, Renee, Jeannie and George. She sent letters to each person and brought Sam out a few weeks after the birth to see the baby.  
  
Larry saw Renee holding the baby while Sam hovered around trying to make her smile. He couldn't get enough of his baby sister. Who could blame him? Larry thought. Neither could he. Renee looked up and caught Larry looking at her. She winked at him and maneuvered the baby's arm to wave hello. He grinned. Renee's attitude had changed dramatically since that night. It hadn't happened overnight but it got better each day and it wasn't long before she was actually happy to see him.  
  
Kelsey had been released from the hospital the following day but Ally's stay in the hospital lasted a bit longer much to her unhappiness. She complained to everyone that she needed to go home with her baby but it was to no avail. The doctor's were not going to let her go until they felt certain that their patient was ready to be discharged and nothing was going to change that; not Ally's threats, promises, or begging. In the end she gave up and Larry took their daughter home where Jeannie had agreed to stay and help.  
  
By the end of the week, the three of them were living together as a family.  
  
"What's she doing?"  
  
"What? What's who doing?"  
  
Ally chuckled. "The only person here who seems to have more of your attention than I do."  
  
Larry pulled back and looked at her face. "Are you saying I have been neglecting you this evening?"  
  
"None in the least. I can't keep my eyes off her either." She moved so she could see the baby. "How can we leave her? She's still so tiny."  
  
He gently touched her cheek. "Honey, it's only for a week. And besides, I have been waiting a long time to take my wife on a honeymoon."  
  
"Larry," she said as she snuggled closer to him. "We had a honeymoon, remember? That last week in December?"  
  
He smiled at the memory. "And it was a hell of a week, too. But I want to take a proper honeymoon, one where we actually leave our home."  
  
"You weren't complaining about the accommodations at that time."  
  
"And I'm not complaining now. Look, the baby will be fine. I completely trust your parents to take care of her."  
  
They both looked and spotted them nuzzling each other in the corner.  
  
"Assuming they ever come up for air," he said dryly.  
  
Ally simply shook her head. She would never have believed it. Who would have thought two people who were so adamant about going their separate ways would void their divorce petition and take a romantic cruise together? Not her, that's for sure. But coming together for their child and grandchild made them realize what brought them together in the first place.  
  
"They act like teenagers," remarked Ally.  
  
"Just so long as those teenagers remember they have a baby to take care of."  
  
Ally smiled as she watched them. She looked back at Larry. "Everything about tonight was perfect. It was the perfect wedding."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Better than the one on Christmas Eve?"  
  
"No, nothing could compare to that ceremony but this is a close second."  
  
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look in that wedding gown?"  
  
"Only about a million times since the ceremony."  
  
"Then let me add one more." He gently touched his lips to her. "I love you."  
  
Ally's stomach fluttered. "I like hearing you say that."  
  
"Then get use to hearing it because I plan on saying it a lot over the next fifty years."  
  
She pressed her cheek to his and watched Kelsey smile at Sam's goofy expression. She pictured two or three more kids with Larry's hair and eyes.  
  
Larry pulled back and looked at her. "What are you thinking about?"  
  
"The future." She touched his cheek. "I never thought I could be happy. Like there was something inside me that didn't work the way it was suppose to. But I was wrong. I have you, the love of my life and my husband, Sam and Kelsey, my newly reunited parents and my best friends Renee and John. I'm happy."  
  
He removed her hand from his face and kissed it. "You made me see that falling in love and getting married could be the most terrifying and the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me. You changed my life."  
  
"And you changed mine, Larry.  
  
He pulled her close again and together they danced as one.  
The end. 


End file.
